Eating Habits
by Amnestyyy
Summary: Elsa is not at all in the mood to go out with her friends, but is dragged along anyway. Little does she know she'll encounter someone - or something - very special tonight.
1. Chapter 1

**Fair warning before you go any further: This story is M for a reason. There's a vampire, a period, and I imagine you can sort of predict the rest. If that's not your thing, this is the right moment to go and find something else, thank you very much.**

**Now then. Let me see. Right - I should start out with what I've already said, because I can't be certain enough to keep uninterested eyes out of here: there is going to be some blood - no extremely graphic descriptions, but still, you're warned. Also: sex. And don't say I didn't warn you, because I did. Twice. :)**

**Anyhow: this story was born during a chat with the venerable and highly-esteemed t3l4m0n, who shared some Vampire!Anna artwork with me, which brought back memories of a story I wrote a long time ago, and he sort of urged me to do it again. This is the result. I hope you like it. It's... ever so different from what I usually write, I'm well aware. I was also quite aware of this during the writing process itself. I'm not sure what I'm trying to say here, but I hope that you people get some intrinsic meaning or something, because I'm losing focus and rambling. Right. Enjoy!?**

**Oh right! Forgot to mention this is, in all likelihood, going to be a three-chapter story. Unless I change my mind, then it might be more. Or less. No, not less. I think. Right. Enjoy!**

* * *

She shouldn't have come tonight. What had she been thinking anyway? Why on earth had she allowed her friends to convince her into clubbing with them tonight? Elsa had never felt as miserable as now, as far as she could recall. And she should be having fun! That was, after all, the initial idea of going out.

Elsa sat at the bar, still only halfway through her first drink. Her eyes roamed around, trying to find her friends. Rapunzel and Flynn were nowhere to be found, probably already having found a quiet little spot where they could do whatever they wanted without anyone interrupting them. Elsa just hoped it wasn't the backseat of the car. Meg and Cleo were enjoying themselves on the dancefloor, seemingly having lost all sense of decorum or decency. Belle and Mulan were standing off to the side, surrounded by at least four guys each.

Elsa heaved another deep sigh. What was the use of her being here anyway? It was the third day of her period – always the worst day for Elsa – so going out onto the dancefloor was absolutely not an option. She couldn't drink too much, because she'd grow nauseous, and she didn't fancy throwing up tonight.

Several men had already tried joining her at the bar, asking to buy her drinks. Hardly any surprise – Elsa was used to getting plenty attention from men due to her stunning figure, platinum blonde hair and enchantingly blue eyes. In the end, though, all men were merely trying to get in her pants. Something that wasn't really an option at the moment either, for obvious reasons. So Elsa had turned all of them down politely, feigning disinterest even to the attractive ones.

After all, her period was none of their business, now was it?

She downed the remainder of her drink in one large gulp, and before she'd even put the glass back onto the bar, the bartender had already placed a new drink down for her. "That one's on the house. You look like you could use it," the burly blonde said with a wry smile. At least someone was sympathetic to her plight, Elsa figured. She quirked a small smile and nodded her thanks, fumbling with one of the coasters absent-mindedly.

The music was too loud. The lights were too bright. The bar was too crowded. The people were too active. The smell of alcohol and sweat permeated the air. That ugly creep across the bar kept staring at her. A headache was starting to form, and her feet were starting to hurt. Damn these shoes. She should have chosen something more sensible. Something that was actually her size. I mean, she wasn't going to pick anyone up tonight anyway, so why try to impress?

She was about to take a sip from her drink when something solid, sticky and hot slammed into her back. It took her a moment to realize that two sweaty arms were slung over her shoulders. She didn't have to turn her head towards the stench of booze, as the voice was easily recognizable.

"Elsaaaaa!" Meg drawled lazily. "Come on! Come dance with us, just one dance. All these hunks are waiting for you to show your moves, girl!"

Elsa shrugged Meg from her back, watching as she slumped against the bar. "I'd rather not, Meg. You go ahead and have fun for the both of us."

"Oh boo! You're no fun at all!" Meg pouted, blinking innocently at her friend.

"I told you this would happen when you tried talking me into coming tonight. You should just have left me alone at my apartment. Now go! Dance with Chloe. She can't handle all the attention on her own."

"But the hunks!" Meg nearly cried.

"The hunks can wait until next week," Elsa smiled distantly.

Meg stomped her foot and grumbled something under her breath, but then finally went back to the dancefloor, leaving Elsa in peace again. As soon as she'd left though, her place was taken by a large, muscular man. "Say sweetheart, could I interest you in a dance?" he slurred.

"You could not," Elsa replied without even turning her head in his direction.

"C'mon sweety! It'll be fun!"

"No."

"But we'd-"

"I said no."

The man nodded curtly, clearly not happy about being rejected, and returned to his friends, most of whom were laughing at him. Normally, Elsa would have seen the humor in that situation, but her mood was bad enough for her to have forgotten what humor was in the first place.

In the following ten minutes, she had to turn down three more guys, each one being more persisted than the previous. She was about to start scolding the fourth when she noticed it wasn't a guy, but a girl. And she wasn't looking at Elsa.

The girl, about Elsa's age and probably a little bit shorter, had fiery red hair that fell in loose waves down her shoulders, and was dressed entirely in black. Elsa tried to observe her outfit inconspicuously – black boots with a small heel, a black pair of skinny jeans, a black corset combined with a black-leather jacket with short sleeves. To finish the outfit off, she wore black gloves without fingers.

However, her outfit wasn't what attracted Elsa attention. It was her behavior that seemed out of place, mostly. The girl sat on the barstool next to Elsa's, having her nose scrunched up in an adorable way, making her appear younger than she probably was. It took Elsa a moment to realize it, but it appeared as if she was _sniffing_.

Elsa tried to covertly bring her nose to her armpits. No, she definitely didn't smell badly enough for this strange girl to be sniffing her out – literally. Elsa returned her attention to her drink as the redhead sniffed a few more times, after which she suddenly turned her attention on Elsa.

"You are probably the most miserable patron in this building at the moment," she smiled brilliantly. "Or at least, that's what you look like."

Elsa sighed, bringing a polite smile to her face as she turned her head towards the odd woman besides her. "That's probably not far off. Is it that obvious?"

"Hunched back, constant frown, stationary on your stool, dusting off all the attention, still on your second drink… Yeah, pretty obvious."

"I see you've been keeping an eye on me," Elsa muttered without paying much attention.

"Totally. Pretty hard not to. I mean, look at you. You're gorgeous."

A slight blush appeared on Elsa's cheeks, but she wasn't at all certain why. It wasn't like she wasn't used to getting compliments on her looks. That was a constant. So why was this different? "Thanks, I guess?"

"So, now that I've established you don't actually _want_ to be here, tell me… Why are you here?" the redhead smiled.

"My friends dragged me along. I told them I didn't feel like it, but they ignored me completely and forced me to come anyway."

"Hm, I should thank your friends then. Would have been a wasted night if it hadn't been for you."

"Trust me," Elsa replied, finally turning towards the girl and being momentarily stunned by her sparkling blue eyes and surplus of freckles, "if you're counting on me to make your night – you can consider this night wasted."

"I wouldn't say that. Not yet, at least. Oh, I'm Anna, by the way. Totally important bit of info there, you should probably write that down."

Despite herself, Elsa chuckled at the girl's behavior, which was both confident and awkward at the same time. "I'm Elsa. So tell me, Anna, why were you sniffing just now?"

Anna blushed a little, waving her hands in a dismissive motion. "Nothing. No reason at all. I just thought I smelled something good. Really yummy, you know? The kind of smell you just have to sniff at a few more times. Savoring it, and all that."

Elsa frowned, turning her nose up. "The only things I smell are alcohol, sweat and vomit."

Anna winked coyly. "Clearly, I've been blessed with a better nose, then."

For the second time in as many minutes, Elsa felt a sincere smile tugging at her lips. Maybe this night was salvageable after all. She hadn't exactly come out tonight expecting a fun conversation with an odd redhead, but she'd take what she could get.

"Clearly, yes. So what did you smell?"

"That's a secret! Where would the fun be if I told you?"

"I'm not going to guess, if that's what you were hoping for."

"Well, fine. Suit yourself. Then you'll never find out!"

"I can live with that," Elsa muttered dryly, rolling her eyes.

The redhead stared at her intensely for a few seconds, causing Elsa to shift around on her stool. She was about to tell her she was starting to become uncomfortable when the redhead suddenly piped up. "So, Elsa! Are you into girls?"

The question took Elsa completely by surprise. She had expected the redhead to steer the conversation in that direction at some point – that was, after all, the prime reason to approach anyone at a club or bar – but she hadn't expected such a blunt and direct approach.

"Uh, no?"

"No? Are you asking me, or was it a definitive no? It sounded like you doubted, Elsa. Did you doubt?" There was a teasing glint in Anna's eyes and a coy smirk tugged at her lips.

"Maybe. I don't know. I… I never tried."

"Would you like to try sometime?" Anna immediately followed up.

"Uh, it's complicated," Elsa hesitated. Honestly? She wasn't quite sure what she did and did not want. She didn't normally fancy women, but there was something about Anna that appealed to her immensely. Not that it mattered, it wasn't really an option to take her home tonight.

"I don't think it is, Elsa," Anna said kindly. "It's a simple yes or no question. Would you like to try being with a woman sometime?"

"Are you asking if I'd like to be with _you_ sometime?"

Anna's grin grew even wider. "I had hoped to keep my intentions a secret a little longer. But yeah, that's pretty much what I was playing at." She added a wink for good measure, making sure her intentions could not be misread.

"Anna," Elsa started hesitantly. "You look like a great girl and all, but-"

"But you've changed your mind. Don't worry, I get that a lot," Anna interrupted, not looking disappointed or distressed at all.

"No, that's not it," Elsa corrected her. "In fact, I'd love to… eh, you know… experiment… with you, but not tonight."

"Ah, so there's still hope for little old me!" Anna cheered. "Marvelous! Not tonight, eh? I can work with that. No worries."

"You seem terribly indifferent about the entire situation, don't you?"

"I suppose I do," Anna murmured, cocking her head to one side. "Maybe I know something you don't know yet."

There was that coy smile again, leaving no doubt about Anna's intentions for the night. Sadly, though, things would not go her way. Elsa was sure of that.

"Well, Anna. I think I know something _you_ don't know. Which is why nothing is going to happen tonight."

"Oh, I _really_ doubt that," Anna grinned mischievously.

"Really doubt what? That I know something you don't, or that nothing is going to happen tonight?"

Anna brought her hand to her chin and looked toward the ceiling for a moment, appearing to be thinking, before she returned her eyes to Elsa's. "Both."

Elsa should feel annoyed or irritated. She knew that she should. After all, Anna was saying that, no matter what, they'd go home together tonight. But she didn't feel annoyed or irritated. In fact, she felt giddy, and couldn't quite suppress the little smile forming on her face.

* * *

Against all expectations, Elsa was actually having fun tonight. It had been over an hour since Anna had joined her at the bar, and the two had been chatting away ever since. Elsa knew that her name was Anna Borges, her family originated from Romania, but that was a long time ago, and her parents had been born in this very city. She knew about her hobbies, friends and family, and favorite food, animal and color.

However, the night was slowly coming to an end. While the club was still roaring, Elsa was starting to feel her energy slipping away, and she was planning to go home soon. Only problem was, she'd need to find one of her friends to drive her home – hoping they weren't too intoxicated to do so safely. And none of her friends were anywhere to be found.

"I could give you a ride, if you want?" Anna suggested with a meaningful look.

"I know what you're thinking, and it's not going to happen," Elsa chuckled, shaking her head slightly.

"You don't know that!" Anna said, clearly defiant. "But nonetheless, you need a ride, I have a car, and I'm sober. Seems like a pretty good deal to me."

"Fine," Elsa conceded. "You can drive me home. But that's all, okay?"

"Uh-huh," Anna nodded, even though they both knew Anna wasn't going to just leave it at that.

Anna quickly led them to a smooth, silver car, a make and model Elsa couldn't recognize in the dark, and opened the passenger side door for her, giving a small curtsy. "Milady."

"Oh, cut it out, you dork!" Elsa scolded good-naturedly.

The seats of Anna's car were comfy and heated, and Elsa sighed contently as she wiggled around in her seat. She quickly texted all her friends that she was being taken home, and that they didn't have to worry, giving Anna directions towards her home in the meantime.

"So, this is it, then?" Anna smiled casually, gesturing towards the apartment building Elsa had directed them to.

"Yeah, this is me."

"So," Anna said again, dragging the word out endlessly. "Any chance I'll be invited in?" The redhead wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

"Anna, I told you…"

"Yeah, yeah! I know. We can't do anything tonight! But I can still come in and have a drink, right?"

Elsa sighed deeply. Before she could think better of it, she gave a small nod. "Fine. One drink. Then you go home, understood?"

"Yes, ma'am!" Anna cheered with a mock salute.

Elsa's apartment wasn't anything special – and had she known she'd have a visitor, she would have tidied up a little – but Anna still whistled softly as she looked around. "Nice place you've got here."

"Thanks," Elsa smiled tightly. "So, what do you want to drink?"

Elsa already stood at the kitchen counter when Anna turned around, again having the mischievous glint in her eyes. "Oh, I'm good, thanks."

Elsa's face contorted for a moment, after which she sighed and rolled her eyes theatrically. "Anna, we talked about this…"

"Yes we did," the redhead smiled brightly. "And what a lovely talk that was. Now come, why don't you join me here, and we could… _talk_ some more."

Elsa knew full-well that Anna had little intention of talking, but for some reason she lowered herself onto the couch anyway. She cursed her monthly discomfort vehemently. She could hardly recall the last time she had wanted someone as badly as she wanted Anna now.

As soon as she was seated, Anna wiggled closer towards her, gently placing her hand on her shoulder. "See? I see no reason we can't do anything tonight. You know you want to, Elsa. I can see it in your eyes."

Before Elsa could formulate a response, Anna was straddling her lap, their faces close together. "This isn't so bad, is it?" Anna murmured softly, her breath ghosting over Elsa's face, causing a shiver to travel down her spine. Completely dazed by the sudden proximity, she wasn't able to provide Anna with an answer before the girl softly brought their lips together.

Elsa had always thought that kissing a girl would be remotely similar to kissing a boy. After tonight, however, she'd have to revise that thought severely. Elsa wasn't all too innocent, and she'd made out with plenty of men before, but they had all been overly eager, sloppy, rushed and hasty.

And Anna was none of that.

She was eager, but took her time nonetheless, making Elsa feel as if she was the sole desire in Anna's life. Anna's left hand gently cupped her cheek, while the other tangled into the blonde hair at the back of her head, keeping her firmly in place, and allowing Anna to deepen the kiss a little.

And then she suddenly pulled back, and Elsa immediately found herself missing Anna's soft, full lips on her own. She was about to protest and let Anna know that, yes, kissing was fine. But Anna didn't give her a chance, stunning her with her mischievous little grin.

"Still good?"

Elsa merely gave a faint nod, trying to pull Anna in again. The redhead allowed it without any resistance, and Elsa released a happy sigh as their lips met again. After a few seconds, Elsa felt Anna's teeth gently nibbling her lower lip, shortly after which her soft tongue gently brushed against it, as if to sooth the spot where she had just nibbled.

Without giving it any thought – thought had gone out of the window as soon as kissing came in – Elsa opened her mouth and allowed Anna's tongue into her mouth, relishing the feeling of the redhead's exploration. From time to time, their tongues would dance, moving against each other in subtle movements, only to leave each other again to explore different parts of their mouths.

Anna's hands slowly descended from Elsa's face to her chest, rubbing and squeezing her breasts through the fabric of her clothes. Clearly, that was not enough for the redhead who started pulling the hem of her shirt, moving it upward in jerky movements.

They parted, both out of breath, and Anna's voice had taken on a dangerously low tone as she growled at Elsa. "Shirt. Off." She herself was already shrugging the leather jacket off, taking the fingerless-gloves off in the process. Elsa still didn't think to stop the redhead. As long as she kept her pants on, there wouldn't be any problem. Once she sat in her bra, Anna moved in for an embrace, only to move back with a wide grin as soon as the bra was unlatched.

"Much better. Such a shame to keep all of that covered up."

Their kissing resumed with vigor, their tongues wrestling as if their lives depended on it. Elsa gasped sharply as Anna started massaging her breasts, occasionally tweaking her nipples with exactly enough force, only to resume gentle rubs and squeezes again afterwards.

When they came apart again, Elsa's hands started looking for the fastening of Anna's corset, finding several hooks on the back. Anna nodded encouragingly as Elsa unhooked the offending garment bit by bit, after which it immediately joined the other articles of clothing on the ground. Elsa gently cupped Anna's breasts, smaller than her own but oh so incredibly perky and firm. She moaned louder than intended when Anna took one of her nipples in her mouth, sucking and nibbling gently.

Suddenly, Anna moved her face up again, pressing the tip of her nose against Elsa's. "Elsa. I know you said no, and if you really don't want to do anything, I'll go home straight away. But you have to tell me now… If you don't… I don't think I'll be able to stop myself."

Elsa frowned and turned her face away from Anna. "I-I'm so sorry, Anna. I should have told you this straight away but… I'd love to go further but… well, we can't. I'm on my period." Her voice was a hoarse whisper, but she knew Anna had heard her. The younger girl gently leant forward, bringing her mouth close to Elsa's ear.

"I know."

Elsa whipped her head around, staring at Anna's smug little smile. "You know?"

"Yep."

"And you still came home with me?"

"Obviously."

"Why?"

Anna shrugged noncommittally. "Do you trust me?"

Elsa wavered for a short moment. This was ridiculous. She only just met Anna. In a club, of all places. Of course she didn't trust Anna, how could she? And yet… she did. She couldn't explain it, but she had the distinct feeling Anna wouldn't harm her in any possible way. The girl had some sort of trustworthy aura hanging around her, radiating feelings of comfort.

Before she could change her mind, she nodded. It was only a little nod, but enough for Anna to show off the largest smile so far. "Good. Listen up, Elsa. Tonight is going to be weird. But as long as you trust me, nothing bad will happen, okay? If you want to stop, just say so, and I'll do my best to be a good girl."

"Anna… You're starting to scare me," Elsa muttered, looking at Anna's determined face. But just as quick as she had turned serious, her smile returned.

"No need to be scared. I won't bite. Not tonight!" She jumped off Elsa's lap. "Where do you keep your linens?"

Elsa pointed at one of the drawers with a quizzical expression. Anna drew it open and rummaged around a bit, eventually pulling out a white blanket with ruffled edges and a few holes. "Perfect!"

"Perfect?"

"We don't want red stains all over your bed, now do we?" Anna explained as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Maybe it was, Elsa wasn't sure anymore.

Anna spread the old blanket out over the bed, gently patting it while she shot Elsa an encouraging look. "Well? Take of your clothes and get over here!" she grinned impishly, jumping off the bed herself and unbuttoning her pants. "Don't tell me I need to come over there and undress you myself…"

"No… But Anna… It's really eh… bad down there."

Anna grinned again, now standing in her panties and cocking her hips to the side, placing her hands in her sides. "I'll be the judge of that. Now get undressed or I'll get you undressed!"

Elsa hesitated for a moment longer, but started undressing once Anna plopped down onto the bed, casually tossing her panties through the room. "I'll find those later, I guess."

Elsa threw her clothes away as well, making sure not to look at them in the process. Anna patted the blanket again, nodding eagerly. "Come on. Relax a little. All will be fine, I promise. Just lay down here, okay?"

Elsa did as Anna suggested, gently laying back, keeping her legs firmly pressed together. Anna shot a furtive glance at Elsa legs, before shrugging carelessly. "I can work with this," she smiled gently, crawling on top of Elsa and moving in for another kiss.

Before long, the two were lost in their passion again, their kisses as heated as they had been before they stopped. Elsa's hands were alternating between Anna's breasts, and caressing her back and behind whenever she could reach it. Anna occasionally ceased their kisses to use her mouth to give Elsa's breasts some attention.

It didn't take long for Elsa to relax into the ministrations Anna delivered so diligently, and not long after, she started relaxing her legs. Elsa immediately tensed up again as Anna's hand moved downwards across her flat stomach, teasing the patch of blonde hair softly. "Ssh. Relax, Elsa. It's okay. We're just having fun, alright?"

Elsa took a deep breath, exhaling slowly as she nodded and relaxed again. She felt Anna's hand nudging her legs apart a little, allowing her room to work. As her fingers moved through Elsa's wet folds, the blonde released a loud moan, almost drowning out the squishing sound of Anna's fingers exploring. "That feels good, doesn't it?" Anna cooed in Elsa's ear. "Just relax. I'll make it even better."

Anna's fingers gently rubbed over Elsa's clit, causing the blonde to arch her back. Immediately after, Anna's fingers switched their focus again, instead caressing around her entrance. As she gently slipped a finger inside, she brought her mouth to Elsa's ear again. "You know, you _can_ touch me, if you'd like."

Elsa wasn't sure why she hadn't done so yet. She felt somewhat ashamed for only focusing on her own pleasure, but her hand soon reached down to Anna's sex, her fingers busily rubbing whichever part she could reach. The sound of Anna's mewls only urged her on, focusing her attention to Anna's clit, instead of random movements.

Anna released a deep moan from the back of her throat, urging Elsa to keep going. The hand caressing Elsa's sex stilling as her own muscles started tensing.

"Oh! Elsa, inside! Please, I need to feel…"

Elsa understood the hint, sliding one finger into Anna's entrance with ease, immediately following up with a second and pumping them in and out at a rapid pace, using her thumb to keep rubbing against Anna's clit. She kept these ministrations up for hardly a minute, when Anna suddenly crashed down on her, her muscles convulsing, her eyes shut tightly and her teeth clamping down on her bottom lip harshly.

After a while, her breathing returned to normal, albeit deeper and heavier than before. "Wow. That was good," she beamed down at Elsa. "If this is your first time with a woman, you're a natural."

"I'll take that as a thanks," Elsa smiled in return.

Anna opened her mouth to answer, but immediately closed it again, scrunching up her nose like she had done in the bar. She sniffed a few times, opened her mouth again, and started biting her lower lip with a worried expression.

"Something wrong?" Elsa asked with concern in her voice.

Anna cocked her head to the side, still looking a little worried. "Do you trust me, Elsa? Like, seriously trust me?"

Elsa nodded again, not sure what to say.

"Okay." Anna took a few deep breaths. "I don't normally do this," she muttered, half to herself and half to Elsa, "because it tends to freak people out. So please, don't freak out, okay?"

Only when Elsa nodded again did Anna close her eyes, and shake her head a few times, causing her hair to tussle around her head. When she opened her eyes again, the bright blue color was replaced by a deep crimson red. Anna pressed a single finger against Elsa's lips, signaling her to be quiet, and used her other hand to move her hair behind her ears, which were suddenly pointier than they had been before.

She moved both hands to her face then, keeping them in front of her mouth. "Okay, remember… You promised not to freak out. I don't want to hurt you. Just remember that."

When Elsa shot her a quizzical look, Anna slowly lowered her hands. At first, everything seemed normal, but when she opened her mouth to say 'don't freak out,' Elsa came face to face with two pointy fangs.

Elsa's first instinct was to yell bloody murder, but she restrained herself in time. Seeing the look of hurt and despair in Anna's eyes, she squirmed around a little to sit up straight, coming face to face with her. Very gently, she reached out towards Anna's upper lip, pulling it up slightly and observing the newly-appeared fangs in more detail.

"I… can imagine this would freak people out, Anna," Elsa muttered softly. "Are you a vampire?"

Anna blushed voraciously as she nodded shyly. When Elsa didn't respond, Anna started talking, her words a little slurred due to the unpractical fangs.

"I needed to feed, and I smelled you at the bar. I thought that, rather than biting, I could perhaps convince you to… well, you know. I'm sorry. It wasn't a very good idea."

Anna started to climb off of Elsa, but the blonde grabbed the redheads wrist, holding her back. "Don't go," she whispered, cupping Anna's face in her hands again. "We don't have to stop, do we? I-I know this sounds strange, but I don't really mind. I trust you. I don't know why, but I trust you."

Anna looked at her hesitantly, urging Elsa to give her a crooked smile. "Please?"

Anna's eyes widened as she cupped Elsa's face in return, the unspoken question clear as sunlight. They stayed like that for a few long moments, until Elsa gave a curt nod of her head – urging Anna to dive forward into a fiery kiss. It took Elsa some effort to evade Anna's sharp fangs, but after a few seconds she grew used to their presence. Anna moaned loudly, sucking on Elsa's lower lip as she pushed her down on her back again.

All of Elsa's feelings had returned, and she suddenly remembered how very aroused she was. The feeling only got worse when the vampire slowly moved downwards, licking and sucking on her breasts – always careful not to use her fangs – trailing kisses along her stomach, and eventually landing between her legs.

Anna looked upward for consent, and Elsa gave it without hesitation. The redheaded vampire nudged Elsa's legs a little further apart, inhaling the smell from her sex deeply. Elsa, not feeling conflicted about her actions, but still somewhat uncomfortable, pressed her face into the pillow as the smell reached her nose. She shuddered in delight as Anna's warm tongue made contact with her center, moving up and down in long strokes. Despite the thoughts about how very, very bad this entire situation was, Elsa soon felt her orgasm building. She tried to hold back as long as possible, wanting to allow Anna to do what she needed to do as much as possible – whatever that exactly was – and when her orgasm eventually came, it was so sudden she hardly had time to warn the vampire that was pleasuring her.

She arched her back as she came, dropping down onto the bed with a soft thump as the incredible feeling left her body. Anna continued licking her softly, allowing her to enjoy the afterglow. She sighed happily, her eyes still closed.

"Was it good?" Anna's voice asked with a teasing lilt in it.

"The best," Elsa muttered happily, before opening her eyes to look at Anna. Her eyes immediately became the size of saucers as she turned her head away and slapped a hand across her eyes. "Not to be rude, but eh… could you go wash your face, please? You've got a little… you know… everywhere…"

Anna released a loud yelp, jumping off the bed. "Oh gosh! I'm so, so sorry! You shouldn't have had to see that! What was I thinking? Oh dear, you must think I'm disgusting now. I'm really sorry! Where can I wash?"

Elsa pointed towards the bathroom, her eyes still covered, and heard Anna pattering out of the room. Only then did she dare look again. The blanket was smudged with a large red stain where she had been laying, but the bed underneath was still clean. She folded the blanket and moved it aside, ready to throw it in the garbage next chance she got. She then took a clean pair of panties and her lady-products, starting to get ready for bed. It was, after all, slowly nearing sunrise again.

As she sat down on the bed again, Anna shuffled back into the room, still naked. "Again, Elsa, I'm _so_ sorry about that. I sometimes forget that people don't… That I'm different, so to speak. I'll just... go now. Yeah, that'd be best. I'll be off."

"Come here," Elsa smiled, patting the bed. "It's alright. It was as much my fault as yours. I mean, I could've guessed what your face would look- You know what, let's talk about something else, okay?"

"Yeah, totally," Anna grinned. "Did you like tonight?"

Elsa leant forward and gave Anna a chaste peck on her lips. "I did. Was it good for you too?" she asked uncertainly.

Anna's smile grew a little wider than it had been before. "The sex or the feeding?"

"Eh... both, I think?" Elsa muttered, blushing and averting her gaze.

"You probably don't want to hear this, but it was delicious. Both were. I'll be good to go for a while now, thanks to you. And thanks for not freaking out… you'd be surprised how many people start screaming."

"Not really, I think," Elsa chuckled as she lay down on her side, pulling Anna down with her, and pulled the comforter over the two of them. "Sleep tight, Anna."

"Hmm. You too."

* * *

When Elsa woke up again, the sun was already high in the sky, and her alarm clock told her it was 2 o'clock in the afternoon. For a moment, she reflected on the ridiculous dream she'd had. Having oral sex with a vampire while she was on her period? Who thought of such a thing?

When she stretched and stepped out of bed, her foot landed on something wet and cold. She reached out to grab it, finding a pair of panties that definitely weren't hers. After that, everything went incredibly fast – Elsa's eyes flicked to last night's clothes, laying around the room, the bloody blanket in the corner, the red hairs on the pillow.

It hadn't been a dream.

But then…

Where did Anna go?

* * *

**Well, my darling readers. You have made it to the bottom of the page! Congratulations! Euhm. Do leave a review, please? I really like reviews. They're like cookies, but better because they express your opinions, and they either make me feel good about myself, or they make me a better writer. Or both. So, please do, and I'll hope to see you again soon. (figuratively speaking, of course, I'm not watching you or anything...)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Well my dear readers, here's chapter 2. It's considerably shorter than chapter 1 was, but I will make up for that in chapter 3, which should be somewhere around 5k or 6k or 7k words, considering the amount of stuff I want to put in there. Some of it was supposed to go in this chapter, but I figured this was a good spot to cut the chapter off. So yeah, if the length is somewhat disappointing, I do apologize. **

**Also, normally I only do the warnings in chapter 1, but since this story is a little... let's call it 'special,' I will say it again here: BEWARE for there is bloody oral sex in this chapter. If you don't think you'll enjoy reading it, I suggest you don't. Though, seeing as this is chapter 2, I doubt you'd be reading this AN if it weren't something you'd enjoy.**

**Also, thank you very much to everyone who has supported this story! I felt a little weird and uncertain when writing it, but you lovely folks have reassured me that I'm not all that weird. Or maybe I am, but in that case we all are, and that's something I can live with. After all, 'don't you think normal can be exhaustingly dreary?'**

* * *

The last month had been one of the strangest months Elsa had experienced in her life up until now. And it had all started that one night, when she had taken Anna home with her. After the redheaded beauty had mysteriously disappeared from her apartment again, there had been a few moments in which Elsa had thought it was all a dream.

But it hadn't been a dream, and she was fairly certain of that now. Although she was still not entirely certain of the memories regarding Anna being a vampire. Those might very well have been a dream. Because vampires didn't exist. Or, at least, that's what Elsa would have told anyone before she'd met Anna. Now she wasn't so sure.

The day after that faithful night, she had been bombarded with calls and texts from her friends – apparently they had all seen her leave with 'a cute redhead chick' and they wanted all the details on their encounter. Elsa gave them a general rundown – leaving out the vampire part, of course – and crossly told them the rest was none of their business.

Besides, it appeared as if she wouldn't be seeing Anna again anyway. The girl had probably just approached her for her blood without having much of an interest in her as a person. Surely she would have stayed if she had. Or at least have left her number for Elsa, right? You didn't just disappear out of someone's life if you wanted to build a relation…

And odd as it was, Elsa found herself craving a relationship with Anna. She hardly knew the girl, but she _did_ know she felt attracted to her, and found her extremely pleasing company – not just physically, mind you. And because of that, she had spent a good part of the past month trying to track her down.

Unfortunately for Elsa, there was no record of a Borges family living in town, as far as she could tell. She did come across the family name "Borgia," though. Thinking that maybe she had misheard Anna – an all too real possibility in a loud club – she had actually dialed the corresponding number. The male voice on the other side gruffly told her they knew no Anna, and that the only woman in their family was called Lucrezia – also, they didn't hail from Romania, but Italy – after that he not-so-politely told Elsa to get lost and take a walk. Not in those exact words.

After that, Elsa figured Anna was her age, so she would probably be a student. That made perfect sense, so she decided to call each and every university and college in the area, asking around for her. She felt her actions were a little clingy, but surely she had the right to be at least a _little_ clingy after that night with her. Sadly, this didn't produce any results either – which was the moment she realized she had no idea how vampires aged. For all she knew, Anna could be several centuries old…

She had even gone back to the club where she'd met Anna – dragging her friends along with her, which was an odd twist of irony, she figured – hoping to run into her again. She figured Anna used the club as a hunting ground of sorts. In that case, there'd be a good chance she'd find her around there again. However, all five attempts turned out a bust, and Anna was nowhere to be found.

But Elsa also had no idea how often vampires needed to feed, so maybe Anna just wasn't hungry yet? Or maybe she had different hunting grounds. Or maybe she moved to a different town after every feed. Or maybe she'd… ugh, Elsa had no idea.

And so, eventually, she had slowly started giving up. Anna was completely unfindable, and the only way they'd be in contact again was for the redhead to seek her out. Judging by the way she had left things after their one-night stand, that wasn't going to happen. Besides it had been almost a full month now, and if Anna was interested in her, she'd have been back by now, right? She knew where Elsa lived, after all.

Her friends had kept badgering her to move on, forget about Anna and find herself a new fling. After two weeks searching for Anna, she had begrudgingly given in, going to their usual club not to look for Anna, but to just bring _someone_ home. She had found, however, that men weren't really to her liking anymore. They were all shallow and rude and generally unattractive.

And none of the women could even get close to what Anna had been. Anna had been quite confident, some would even say full of herself, having been certain she'd have sex with Elsa that very night, but it hadn't bothered Elsa in the slightest. All these women, however, were annoying in their pride and unwavering determination.

Needless to say, Elsa had returned home alone every night, ending up in her dark room and empty bed, thinking about Anna. It perturbed her somewhat that Anna had such a grasp on her mind and feelings, but she couldn't help it. Not rarely, Elsa ended up masturbating as she thought about the feisty redhead, working herself to some of her best orgasms yet.

By the time her period came round again, she had given up all hope of ever seeing Anna again. Little did she know how mistaken she had been – and rarely had she been so happy to be proven wrong.

* * *

It was a Thursday night, and Elsa was painfully aware of the fact that all her friends were out clubbing – again. However, over the past weeks, she had found out that neither her body nor her mind were made for excessive clubbing. Adding to that was the fact she was on her period again – and she doubted she'd come across another cute vampire. And thus she was now lounging on her couch with a glass of wine and a semi-decent book.

She looked up in surprise when there were three soft knocks on her door – after which there was a somewhat loud thud, sounding as if something heavy was thrown against the wood. She sighed irritably – probably one of her drunken neighbours – and headed to the door, muttering something about planning to murder someone.

When she opened the door, however, she found the redhead she had been looking for. At first glance, Elsa thought Anna was trying to look casual, leaning up against the doorframe with one shoulder, and she was just about to start scolding her for disappearing like she did.

At that point, however, she noticed how Anna looked. Her skin was several shades paler than Elsa recalled, making the freckles on her face stand out alarmingly clear. There were large bags underneath her eyes, and her eyes itself were not the sparkling blue – or even the crimson red – they had been before, but rather a much paler and dimmer shade of something akin to purple.

Taking Anna's appearance in, Elsa realized that she wasn't leaning against the doorframe to look casual, but simply because she needed to support to keep standing.

"Anna? Geez, what happened to you?" she asked, wrapping one of the redhead's arms around her shoulder and half-dragging her to the couch.

Anna chuckled grimly. "Nothing, why do you ask? I'm perfectly fine. What about you? Shouldn't you be out with your friends or something?"

"Not tonight," Elsa answered curtly, setting Anna down. "Now, stop evading my question. What happened to you?"

Anna shook her head with a weak smile. "I wouldn't say anything _happened_ to me, per se."

"Anna," Elsa muttered in a warning tone, not at all liking the evasive answers.

"Fine, fine!" Anna growled weakly. "I may have… forgotten to feed."

"Forgotten to feed?" Elsa asked incredulously. She didn't know how vampires functioned, but she herself couldn't imagine forgetting to have dinner. She'd get hungry. Like, big time. And judging by Anna's current state, vampires were no exception to that rule.

Anna smiled apologetically. "Well, maybe I just… I don't know, abstained? For a while. You know…"

"I don't know," Elsa replied dryly. "Explain yourself." It came out like an angry parent scolding a naughty child, but Elsa couldn't really help that. Nor did she really mind, since it worked, apparently.

Anna took a deep breath before she started to talk. "I… haven't fed since last month, when I was… with you… I mean, I _ate_ of course, like breakfast and dinner and shit. He he, no I didn't eat shit, that'd be-"

"Anna!"

"Right, rambling. Sorry. Euh, so yeah, I did eat normal food, but I didn't _feed_, which is the word we use for drinking blood. Sorry if I gross you out, by the way, but you did ask for an explanation…"

"I'm good," Elsa smiled weakly. "You say there are more than just you? Wait – don't answer that, it's not important right now. Why didn't you eat? I mean, feed?"

"Heh, funny story, actually," Anna started, looking as if the story were not at all funny. "I euh, I'm a little odd as a vampire, I suppose. You see, I don't like biting people. It's so animalistic and messy. Oh, and people generally don't like it when a vampire starts chomping down on their neck, so there's that. So I try to feed like I did with you, or take some blood from people with wounds. It generally manages to sustain me quite well."

"That doesn't explain your current state."

"You're right, it doesn't. Well, I couldn't find any wounded people to feed off for a while, no grizzly car crashes, stabbings or what have you."

"But you could have just gone to some public place and pick up a girl, right? I mean, with your looks, that shouldn't be too difficult?"

Anna nodded pensively. "I suppose that's true. But… I didn't want to. I tried, once. Found a pretty cute girl in the library, even started talking her up and she seemed cool. Of course, I didn't tell her I was a vampire, that's a bad pick-up line. Anyway, when it came down to it, I just couldn't bring her home. Because I thought of you."

"You thought of me?"

"Yeah, stupid, isn't it? Somehow it felt like cheating or something. Even though you and I aren't actually a thing. So I couldn't get myself to feed."

"And now you're here to feed on me again?"

"What? No… I… Are you on your period again?"

Anna looked genuinely surprised, which made Elsa believe that the redhead wasn't here just for her blood. "Yes, I am. But if you're not here to feed, then… why?"

"Right. My parents are vampires like me. Much older, but that's not important, really. They say I've disgraced them by not being like a traditional vampire, going round biting necks and killing people in stinky alleys behind bars. So they kicked me out, because they're such pleasant people. I… I didn't have anywhere to go, and just started walking around a bit. And that's how I found myself in the neighborhood. I didn't consciously come here… But I'm sort of glad I did."

Elsa chuckled darkly. "Me too. Now get up and follow me," she muttered as she got up and started walking towards the bedroom.

"What? Why?" Anna said breathlessly, apparently exhausted from merely getting off the couch.

Elsa turned around and cocked an eyebrow. "Anna. You look like hell. Seriously, I can't even look at you without feeling pity. So you're going to feed, and that's an order."

Despite her state, Anna grinned crookedly. "Ahw, Elsa, I didn't know you cared."

Elsa frowned at the redhead. "Had you stayed around last time, you would have found out," she replied, more venomously than intended, immediately regretting it as Anna flinched.

"Yeah… sorry about that. It would just have been a little complicated, and I don't do complicated very well…"

"You can make up for it this time," Elsa sighed as she placed a worn blanket over the bed. "Now then, shall we?"

Anna was at the edge of the bed faster than Elsa had expected, pulling her clothes off in the process. Within seconds, she was confronted by the gorgeous body of the redhead, who was now unbuckling Elsa's belt and sliding her jeans down her legs, inhaling deeply through her nose.

Elsa was also quickly undressed, pushed onto her back on the bed, and Anna deftly climbed on top of her, looking down with a questioning look. "Are you sure you're okay with this, Elsa?"

Elsa nodded encouragingly, opening her legs. "Yeah. Don't hold back. You need it, so take it."

Anna nodded, leaning down to place a kiss on Elsa's lips. "I'll linger up here for a while first," she smiled charmingly. "After all, I suppose you don't want to kiss me after the feeding…"

"Not really, no," Elsa giggled, capturing Anna's lips with her own again. She opened her mouth instinctively, letting her tongue slip into Anna's mouth, where it was immediately met by the redhead's, a low moan rumbling between them.

Elsa wrapped her arms around Anna's back, pressing their bodies closer together, enjoying the feeling of the redhead's breasts against her own. As soon as they touched, however, a sharp stinging pain shot across her tongue, after which Anna immediately pulled back, hand clasped over her mouth.

"I'm so sorry Elsa. That doesn't usually happen randomly. Fuck, did I hurt you?"

Elsa tasted the faint metallic taste of blood in her mouth, but it was only a small nick on her tongue – nothing to worry about. She actually started giggling – mostly because of the muffled and poorly pronounced words Anna brought forth due to her now-extended fangs. "Don't worry about it. It'll probably make the kissing better for you anyway," she said with a wink.

"I'm totally sorry! My fangs sometimes pop out when I get really, really horny. I didn't mean to-"

"I know. Just… just kiss me, okay?"

Without further words spoken, Anna launched forward again, resuming their kissing where they'd left it, though more carefully moving with their tongues this time. Elsa didn't mind the fangs as much, especially since Anna took particular care not to draw blood anywhere again.

After a few minutes, Anna disengaged from Elsa's mouth, slowly trailing kisses down her breasts and stomach, moving towards Elsa's center after several aroused growls. Once there, she nudged Elsa's legs further apart, inhaling the scent deeply, before looking at Elsa's face. "If you, you know, don't want to see blood and stuff, you should probably close your eyes," she smiled, revealing her fangs in the process.

Elsa did as Anna told, closing her eyes, draping her arm over it, and then turning her head away for good measure. One could never be too sure, after all. The disgusting smell of her period drifted into her nose, making her cringe just as Anna's tongue stroked across her folds. The vampire immediately pulled back. "Should we stop?" she asked, her voice laced with concern.

"No!" Elsa said vehemently – the kissing and foreplay, however brief, had actually turned her on. "It's just… I don't like the smell much," she added sheepishly, "but please keep going."

Anna nodded – which Elsa couldn't see – and pressed her tongue against Elsa's folds again, moaning loudly as she lapped the blood up. Elsa felt how her tongue cleverly evaded her most sensitive spots – giving her pleasure without actually bringing her close to climaxing. She figured Anna wanted to extend the process for as long as possible, catching up on the feeding she had neglected for so long, and she found she didn't mind.

It was always somewhat disappointing to Elsa when her orgasm arrived too quickly – which happened more often than not – and feeling Anna's tongue exploring her sex without directly stimulating her clitoris was a rather pleasant change of pace for her. This was definitely something she could get used to – especially considering Anna's deft techniques and appealing appearance.

Nonetheless, after nearly fifteen minutes of constant pleasure, Elsa started to crave her release. She waited for another five minutes before breathlessly moaning a soft objection.

"Anna, please. I need… I need you to…"

Before she had a chance to finish her sentence, she felt Anna's tongue moving upwards, gently flicking her clit and eliciting a moan from her throat. She could practically feel Anna's grin against her sex as the redheaded vampire repeated the motion several times. After that, it didn't take very long for her to reach her orgasm, arching her back as she cried out Anna's name.

Once she came down again, she realized Anna's predicament. Without opening her eyes, she turned her head towards the redhead. "Anna… If you need more you can… keep going for a while. Just… gently, please."

She heard an amused chuckle from between her legs. "That's alright, Elsa. I'm good for now. I'll just go and clean up so you can open your eyes again. Without getting nightmares of a terrible and fearsome vampire."

Elsa snorted in a rather unladylike fashion. "I'd hardly call you terrible or fearsome. I'm fairly certain you're the cutest vampire in existence, actually."

She listened to Anna's receding giggle, reaching for a towel – good thing she had the mind to place one within reach – and cleaning herself up. When Anna returned, all cleaned up as if nothing had ever happened, Elsa was sitting on the bed in her nightclothes. Thankfully, Anna looked as if her feeding had completely restored her – her skin was the usual rosy colour again, and the bags underneath her eyes had disappeared entirely.

"So, are you going to disappear on me again?" Elsa asked somewhat sullenly.

Anna looked over at the window for a while before answering. "Not if you don't want me to…"

Her reply brought a smile to Elsa's face as she held the covers aloft for Anna to join her. "Good," she smiled, "because I don't feel like spending another month looking for you."

"You were looking for me?"

"Of course I was looking for you. It's not every day I met a drop-dead gorgeous, sexy girl and have sex with her, you know…"

Anna shifted uncomfortably, hesitantly opening her mouth. "So you're not… disgusted?"

"Why would I be?"

"Oh, I don't know? The entire 'she has fangs and feeds of blood to survive' deal, maybe?"

Elsa couldn't help but releasing an affectionate laugh, stroking her thumb across Anna's cheek. "I admit, the blood is a little gross. But, as long as I'm not the one ingesting it, it's certainly something I can live with."

"… And the fangs?"

"Are you kidding me? Vampire Anna is one of the sexiest things I've ever encountered. Actually, she might be _the_ sexiest thing. Immediately followed by non-vampire Anna."

"You think my fangs and pointy ears are sexy?" Anna asked incredulously.

"Absolutely, and don't forget the crimson eyes. I _really_ dig the crimson eyes."

Despite the uncertainty splayed across her face, Anna giggled softly. When the laughter subsided, she looked at Elsa, opening her mouth slightly. With a soft click, her fangs were extended again, and after blinking once, her eyes had taken their red colour again. "You don't mind this at all, then?"

Elsa gently leant forward, placing a soft kiss on the tip of Anna's nose. "Oddly enough, I don't. I… I really like you, Anna."

Within an instant, Anna turned back to her normal self. "I really like you too," she mumbled softly.

They lay besides each other in silence for a while, both slowly drifting asleep. Just before falling asleep, though, Elsa turned towards Anna, wrapping her arms tightly around the other girl. "I'm not taking any chances tonight," she muttered sleepily.

"Fine by me," came the equally sleepy reply.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello, and welcome to Chapter 3 of Eating Habits. Since you're here, I'm going to assume you read chapter 1 and 2, and I'm not going to do the whole "warning you because there's blood" routine again. Oh, oops, looks like I just did it anyway. Oh well.**

**Also, remember how I said this would probably be around 5k or 6k words? Yeah... Turns out it's a little over 11k. You know that feeling when you're writing something and it just grabs you by the throat and starts dragging you around? That's sort of what happened here. Probably. Not sure. Anyhow! This is the final chapter I had originally planned for this story (I did say three chapters, after all), but it's going to be a little more, because I have a few more ideas. (And I knew myself well enough to be able to predict this, so bonus points for me!)**

* * *

When Elsa woke up, the first thing her hazy mind urged her to do was checking whether or not Anna had stayed in bed this time. She turned around violently, remembering finding the spot next to her empty last time, and sighed happily as the harsh sunlight was removed from her eyes.

Until she realized that there was no Anna next to her. Just an empty pillow, with a slight indentation where her head must have been, and a few red hairs spread around. She bolted upright immediately, throwing her blanket aside – only to find it staying in its place.

"Yes, could you not do that, please?" a muffled voice asked from underneath.

Elsa carefully lifted the corner of the blanket, finding Anna curled up underneath. "Anna? What are you doing?"

"Not to be rude or anything, but could we maybe have this conversation after you've closed the curtains? Please?"

Elsa blinked dumbly for a few moments before getting up and closing the curtains. It didn't block the sunlight entirely, but at least it wasn't as harsh and direct as it had just been. "I'm sorry, Anna. I... completely forgot about it yesterday. And even if I hadn't, I would probably not have thought this far ahead. Being with a vampire is new to me."

Anna laughed as she plopped her head back onto her pillow and held the covers open for Elsa to get back in as well. "That's alright. There aren't many of us, so I would be surprised if it wasn't. Don't worry about it. It's not like we shrivel up or burst into flames in the sunlight, just so you know."

"Then what _does_ happen?" Elsa asked curiously, a smile on her lips as she felt Anna's arm snaking over her stomach.

"Nothing, actually. Bright sunlight just makes us very uncomfortable. If we stay out in it too long, we grow weak and tired."

"So I guess that means we won't be hanging out on the beach together…" Elsa muttered sheepishly.

"You're working from the assumption that the two of us will actually be hanging out together," Anna pointed out dryly, giggling at the look of surprise and horror on Elsa's face. "I'm just teasing," she followed up immediately, "of course we'll hang out together. That's what you do with-"

Elsa raised her eyebrows as Anna suddenly cut herself off. "Hm, you were saying?"

"Nothing. I just realized I was working from an assumption myself and getting a little ahead of things."

"Really now?" Elsa drawled, sidling closer to Anna's body. "And what might that be, then?"

"I was going to call us girlfriends," Anna admitted shyly. "But I don't even know if you, you know, like me like that. Or if you are even looking for a girlfriend. Hell, maybe you want a boyfriend? Do you want a boyfriend?"

Now it was Elsa's turn to laugh, which she did as she gently placed a finger over Anna's lips. "Let me see… Would I like a boyfriend? Hm… Seeing as I have a perfectly lovely girl laying in my bed this very moment, I don't really see the need. That is… provided this girl plans to frequent my bed."

"She sure does," Anna beamed brightly, before her face turned serious again. "But I do have to admit something. Something you might not enjoy hearing."

"We've been together for less than ten seconds, and you already have to admit something bad? I do hope that's not going to be an indication for the rest of our relationship," Elsa said jokingly, crawling out from under the covers.

Anna stared at the ceiling for a few seconds before opening her mouth. "We can talk about it later... Right now, I'm hungry."

Elsa wavered a little. "Anna, we only just woke up… Don't you think it's a little early to be doing _that_ now?"

Anna sat upright, cocking her head to the side in confusion. "What do you- Oh!" She shook her head slightly as she jumped out of the bed. "I actually meant breakfast-hungry. You know, like sandwiches or pancakes?"

"Oh… Right. Yeah, let's have breakfast," Elsa muttered from underneath her hands, covering up her ferocious blush. Without her being able to see it, Anna made her way to her side, gently removing her hands. "Hey, don't worry. It's a logical mistake, okay? I'm sure there'll be plenty more."

Elsa nodded her assent, making her way to the kitchen. "Let's eat… Then you can do your confession, and I'll get to fire off all the questions I have about vampires."

"Sounds good to me!"

* * *

Anna was absent-mindedly pushing a piece of her final pancake around her plate with her fork, staring at the trail it left in the syrup. She knew Elsa would start firing questions soon, but she had to get her confession out of the way first. After all, Elsa might very well get mad enough to throw Anna out. And if that were the case, Anna would prefer Elsa knowing as little about her and her kind as possible.

"So…" Elsa started. "You wanted to tell me something?"

"Yeah…" There was a long silence while Anna tried finding the right words. "Do you remember the first night we met?"

"I do… Meeting a vampire is not something one forgets easily. Why do you ask?"

"Well… Did you never think it… strange or troubling that you immediately trusted me, despite not even knowing me?"

Elsa frowned slightly, clearly going through the night in question in her mind. "I never really thought about it," she wondered out loud. "I suppose there was a moment?"

Anna nodded solemnly. "You see, I sort of tricked you into having sex with me that night. Vampires can emit a certain aura that makes humans more susceptible to our suggestions. It's like a very mild form of hypnosis. I used it to make you trust me."

There was a long silence between them, and Anna was formulating a thousand apologies in her mind when Elsa suddenly spoke up. "When did you use that exactly?"

"When I asked 'do you trust me?' right before leading you to the bedroom."

"I see… And you didn't use it at the club?"

"No, that was all you."

"Or when you revealed your fangs for the first time?"

"You might still have been under the influence, but I didn't actively use it then."

"And you didn't use it last night either?"

"No."

"Okay," Elsa said simply, as if the matter were now resolved.

"Okay?"

"Yeah, okay. I suppose it wasn't very nice of you, but you had to feed, so I get it. Besides, it's not like the feelings I have for you are any less real because of it, right? You didn't glamour me into falling in love with you?"

"No, I don't think vampires can do that… Except for the really, really old ones, perhaps. But I'm not old at all, so no worries. But you're really just going to leave it at this?"

Elsa murmured in the affirmative. "Is it time for my questions now?"

"Sure, fire away," Anna smiled, immensely relieved at Elsa's easy acceptance and forgiveness.

"How old are you?"

Anna turned her eyes towards the ceiling in thought for a moment, before answering. "Twenty-one."

Elsa's eyes narrowed suspiciously, but she didn't ask anything else. Anna, however, knew what she was thinking. "And I've been twenty-one for almost half a year now," she added with a shrug. "Not all vampires are centuries old. I'm the youngest of my family, though. I think."

"How old is the rest?"

"My brothers and sisters range from fifty to three-hundred-something," Anna stated matter-of-factly. "My parents are ancient, but I don't really know how ancient."

"How many of you are there?" Elsa asked, folding her hands under her chin.

"Vampires in general? Not that many, I believe. Spread over the entire world, I think there might be a few hundred of us. We're slowly growing extinct."

"Why not do something about that?" Elsa asked with furrowed brows, clearly concerned for a race she hadn't even known existed.

"It's complicated. Basically, it boils down to the majority of vampires being sterile nowadays, due to the age of their parents."

"So if really old vampires have children, then those are sterile?"

"Usually, yes. I'm not entirely clear on the specifics, though."

Elsa suddenly frowned at Anna. "Wait, back up a little. You were born a vampire? I thought vampires were… you know, _made_?"

"I was born like this, yeah," Anna sighed. "Both ways are possible, although being born a vampire is getting rarer and rarer, as I just explained. Making vampires, turning humans into vampires, is generally frowned upon, unless the person in question actually wants it. We're not the violent and cruel monsters media make us out to be."

Elsa nodded slowly, casually playing with the syrup bottle. "How often do you need to feed?"

"At least twice a month, since once was clearly not enough to sustain me properly. More is always encouraged though – the less we feed, the weaker we grow."

"Can you live off animal blood?"

Anna chuckled a little. "Technically, we could. But it's really, really gross, so most of us don't."

"How _do_ most vampires feed, then? No one knows you exist, so you probably don't attack random humans, right?"

"Some do, although they are heavily encouraged to clean up after themselves and make sure our existence remains a secret. Most vampire families have donors – humans who know of their existence and actually enjoy being bitten."

"Did you ever bite anyone?" Elsa asked hesitantly, probably remembering Anna's explanation from the night before and realizing this to be a touchy subject.

"I have," Anna replied equally hesitantly. "My parents taught me how it worked. Where to bite, how much to take at a time, things like that. I fed of their donors for a few years, until they told me I was getting too old for that and had to find my own ways. That's when I started feeding alternatively – which upset my parents, as I told you yesterday."

"Couldn't you just find donors of your own? Or get blood from a hospital or something?"

"Finding donors isn't that easy if you can't let people know you're a vampire. And not getting your blood directly from its source is viewed as a disgrace – not only for yourself, but your entire family. They would never forgive me if I approached a hospital and acquired some bags of blood."

"I take it that's some weird cultural thing, then?"

"Yeah. I suppose it is. No one ever gave me an explanation, come to think of it. It's just something you don't do…"

Elsa opened her mouth to fire off the next question, but suddenly snapped her jaws shut again, shaking her head a little.

"What were you going to ask?"

"Nothing, not important."

"Elsa… You can ask anything you want. I don't mind if it's weird or rude or silly. If you have a question, ask it."

"What's it like? Drinking blood, I mean…"

Anna considered the question for a while, trying to find a way to explain the sensation to someone who'd never experienced it. "It's not all that different from eating, really," she started eventually. "Imagine not having had any food for a long time, and your body starting to feel heavy and weak. Then, when you eat, your body grows more powerful again, right? That's sort of what feeding is like for us too, except it's on a more extreme scale. We can actually feel the power flowing through us during and after our feeding."

"So you don't actually need to eat human food, then?"

Anna smiled wistfully. "We don't _need_ to, but we do get the same hunger-feeling humans get, so it is advisable to have three meals a day."

"Can I ask one more thing?"

"You can ask twenty more things if you want to, Elsa," Anna said kindly. "I understand that all of this is new and confusing and there's a whole new world opening for you… I'll do whatever I can to make things a little easier."

"How do you age?"

"You mean to ask how old I'll get?"

"Yes and no," Elsa explained. "That's part of the question, I guess. But how will your body age in comparison? I mean, if you have siblings that are several centuries old, then surely their bodies mature differently from human bodies…"

"They do, yes. But your question is a lot more complicated than you'd think. Vampires can grow incredibly, astonishingly old. The oldest living vampire is over seven hundred years of age and still quite fit. You see, our bodies age differently from humans, but there are also large differences amongst vampires."

Anna was vaguely aware of the fact she was twiddling her fingers nervously as she debated whether or not she should explain further. This, like feeding, was a sensitive subject for her personally. Yet she didn't want to keep things hidden from Elsa either. With a deep sigh, she resumed her explanation.

"If a vampire is turned by another vampire, the body stops aging at the moment of turning. However, that cannot be the case for naturally-born vampires, for obvious reasons. For us, it all depends on the Stilling. It's a once-in-a-lifetime event for a vampire, and it marks the moment the body simply stops aging. You don't grow any taller, you don't gain or lose weight anymore, your entire body just… freezes, as it were. It is preferable this happens somewhere between your thirtieth and fiftieth year – that way you'll always be seen as an adult, yet you'll always be in good shape as well. Provided you're not overweight or anorexic or whatever."

"So you just age like a normal human being until this Stilling happens?"

Anna chuckled grimly before she answered. "My Stilling happened a few months ago. My parents were terribly upset, even though there's nothing anyone could have done to prolong it. I'll just always look like I do now."

Elsa reached out and took hold of Anna's hands, and Anna's heart warmed from the brilliant smile Elsa was giving her. "And you look amazing, if I may say so, Anna. I'll happily stick with you. You'll be getting the bad end of that deal, though…"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, in sixty years, you'll be the gorgeous redhead you are now, and I'll be grey and wrinkled, trailing behind you with my cane. Unless you'd turn me into a v-"

"No!" Anna almost yelled, suddenly jumping up from her chair. "I'm not going to turn you, Elsa. Not now, not ever. Becoming like me is a permanent choice, and I won't have any part of it."

She watched as Elsa got up from her chair and rounded the table, wrapping her arms around her. "Shush, calm down, Anna. Easy now," she whispered in soothing tones, and Anna felt her body slackening. "It was just a casual remark. I didn't mean anything by it. We have plenty of time together, and perhaps, one day, I'll want to address this decision again, but it's a little early for that now. Let's just enjoy our time together, okay?"

Anna nodded weakly. "Sounds good. Sorry, I overreacted a little."

"That's okay," Elsa murmured, kissing the top of Anna's head. "Now, last question. What do vampires do for fun on a sunny day?"

* * *

As it turned out, a vampire's typical sunny day wasn't that much different from Elsa's usual rainy day. Anna spent a good deal of the morning perusing Elsa's bookshelves, occasionally taking one of the books and leafing through it, before putting it back again, remarking on the extent of Elsa's collection.

When she had grown tired of that, she moved to the TV, switching through the channels without paying much attention. Instead, her attention was fully focused on Elsa, who was sitting at the small dining table with her laptop and several large books, finishing one of her assignments. It was a little after noon when Elsa closed the laptop with a frustrated grunt and moved to the kitchen. "So, Anna… How about having the second of your three advised meals now?"

Anna grinned up at the blonde with fondness. "Lunch sounds great!"

Within minutes, Elsa placed a large plate with an equally large stack of sandwiches on the couch, sitting down on its other side. "Dig in," she smiled, taking one of the sandwiches from the plate.

"Awesome, thanks!" Anna mumbled with her mouth already filled with a large bite. "How's your assignment coming along?"

"It's almost finished," Elsa sighed, "and I have the rest of the week before I need to hand it in. Why do you ask?"

Anna's gaze shifted outside for a brief moment, before turning back to Elsa. "I feel a little guilty about keeping you cooped up in here with weather like this… So I was thinking we could go to the park together after lunch?"

"Anna, you just told me that you and the sun don't exactly get along…"

"It's getting cloudy, Elsa. It won't be as good as it was this morning, but getting some fresh air would be nice, right?"

Anna bit her lower lip as Elsa's eyes turned to the window too. Truthfully, it was still a little too sunny for her liking, but the brightness was tempered somewhat by the thin veil of clouds that was now filtering the sunlight.

"Are you sure? It still looks pretty sunny, doesn't it?"

"It'll be fine, really! What do you say?"

"Well, if you're sure you're up for it, I'm game."

Elsa smiled brightly as they walked into the park, teenagers, families, and elderly couples littered around the premises to enjoy the summery weather. Her smile grew even brighter when she felt Anna's hand slip into her own, their fingers intertwining as if it had happened like that a million times before.

"Is this okay?" Anna asked insecurely, grimacing as some of the people shot them odd glances.

Under normal circumstances, Elsa avoided attention like this at all costs. However, now that she was with Anna, she found that she really didn't care. She was happy. _They_ were happy, together. And who was anyone else to judge them for that? She gave Anna's hand a soft squeeze and an encouraging smile, which sufficed as an answer.

Clearly, Anna understood the feeling Elsa was trying to convey, because her smile grew more radiant as well. For a few moments, Elsa was mesmerized by Anna's appearance – the sun made her hair even more fiery than it appeared in the shade, and her eyes appeared evermore blue as well. The sun appeared to caress Anna's tanned skin, clearly accentuating her freckles.

"Ugh, get a room, you two! You're disgusting!" someone yelled from across the lawn. Elsa realized that she and Anna had stopped walking and were just standing in the middle of the path, looking at each other. She blushed slightly as the voice made its way to her ears. Anna's reaction, however, was remarkably different.

Elsa had to do a double take to make sure she had heard correctly, because for a moment it sounded as if Anna was growling, or perhaps snarling, at the small group of boys hanging out on one of the benches. When Elsa saw the colour of her eyes suddenly flashing to red, she took a firmer hold of Anna's hand, gently pulling her in the other direction.

"Don't pay them any heed, Anna," she muttered softly, dragging her towards a large oak tree on the other side. Once they reached the tree, Elsa sat down on the grass, resting her back against the trunk. They were relatively secluded from the rest of the park here – since almost everyone preferred being in the sunlight, rather than the shade – but they could still oversee most of it. "Care to explain what just happened?" Elsa asked softly as Anna settled next to her.

"I got angry," Anna muttered sheepishly. "He called us – you – disgusting, and that made me upset."

"Is it normal for your eyes to change colour when you get angry?"

To Elsa's surprise, Anna laughed heartily. "Not really. There's growling first, then the change in my eyes. I suppose vampires are a little more akin to animals than humans are. Sorry, I should probably have told you that before you committed."

Elsa gently clasped Anna's hands in her own, leaning into her girlfriend's side. "Anna, don't worry so much. I'm not tied to you, so you don't have to apologize for not telling me everything there is to know about you. Maybe, eventually, I'll discover something troubling, but that hasn't happened yet. You're not getting rid of me that easily. Though I must ask, is this little temper issue something I should worry about?"

Anna scratched the back of her head. "Not really. Well, not until my fangs pop out in public, at least."

"So that happens not just if you're horny, but also if you're angry?"

"Not just angry," Anna explained. "Before a vampire loses control of his fangs like that, he needs to be seething with rage. It's one of the main reasons vampires died throughout history – accidentally revealing themselves."

"Why does this not appear in our history books?" Elsa asked. "Humans think of your kind as being fairy-tale material."

"There are lots of reasons, but I never really paid much attention to the history of my kind, to be honest…" Anna mumbled, appearing embarrassed. Elsa felt slightly disappointed – she found vampirism remarkably interesting all of a sudden – and Anna apparently noticed. "I could ask my parents for one of the books from their library. You could read it for yourself, if you want?"

"That'd be really nice. Speaking of your parents…"

"Yeah, let's not speak of my parents."

Elsa chuckled softly, albeit without much humor. "Anna, I was going to say you were welcome to stay with me as long as you'd like…"

"Thanks, Elsa. That means a lot to me," Anna smiled sincerely.

"That being said, I do think you need to talk to them at some point. They're still your parents, after all."

"Fair enough," Anna sighed. It looked as if she was going to say something else when they were suddenly interrupted.

"Elsa! Elsa!"

They both turned their heads in the direction of the caller, and Elsa smiled a subdued little smile as she noticed a short-haired brunette running up to their tree, dragging a slightly larger man after her. "Hey, Rapunzel, Eugene," Elsa smiled as the two sat down opposite them.

"It's Flynn, Elsa. Flynn Rider. No one calls me Eugene!" the man complained, waving his arms around exaggeratedly.

Rapunzel giggled slightly. "No, sweetheart, you got that turned around. No one calls you Flynn. Now, Elsa, where are your manners? Who's your _friend_?"

Elsa sighed dramatically. "Rapunzel, this is my girlfriend Anna. Anna, this is my cousin Rapunzel."

Anna smiled beatifically as she shook their hands. "Nice to meet you."

"You're the redhead chick that snatched Elsa away last month, right?" Rapunzel asked amiably.

"That would be me, yes."

Rapunzel's face suddenly turned a lot less friendly. "If you run out on her and break her heart again, I'll track you down. Understood?"

"Punzel!" Elsa gasped, making to swat the back of her head. To her surprise, Anna grasped her wrist before she could do so.

"It's alright, Elsa," she smiled reassuringly before returning her attention to Rapunzel. "That was a slight miscommunication between the two of us. It won't happen again, I promise. Elsa is very dear to me."

Just as soon as it had disappeared, Rapunzel's smile was in place again. "Great, then we'll get along without any trouble!" There was a slight pause before the brunette spoke again. "Okay, so this is the case: Elsa didn't want to divulge any information about that night you whisked her away from the club. Now, I'm thinking you can fill me and Eugene in on all the details."

Anna cringed visibly as she answered. "Elsa has good reason not to get into details. I doubt you'd like hearing about our activities that night…"

Eugene immediately piped up. "Are you kidding me? The two of you together? I'd pay to see-"

"Elsa was on her period."

Those five little, simple words suddenly changed the entire situation. Elsa's face became visibly flushed, while Eugene's face went from euphoric to disgusted within half a second. Anna, who had divulged the information very matter-of-factly, just sat there watching everyone else.

Rapunzel cleared her throat a few times before turning to Elsa. "Okay, fair enough. No details, please."

"Told you," came Anna's smug reply.

* * *

"Elsa, I swear, you are the best cook _ever_!" Anna yawned loudly as she stretched out on the couch. They had just finished clearing the dishes away, and Elsa was rummaging through her collection of DVDs to find a movie they could watch together – something without vampires, as per Anna's explicit request.

"I'm moderately sure you're exaggerating, but thank you," Elsa smiled over her shoulder, after which her attention returned to finding a suitable movie. Eventually, they settled on a mindless comedy, both of them feeling the need to unwind without using their brains too much.

By the time the movie ended – almost two hours later – Anna was laying down on the couch, her head resting in Elsa's lap as the blonde played with her hair. "I think it's time to go to bed. For both of us," Anna smiled sleepily.

"I do think you're right," Elsa muttered. "Do you need to feed tonight?" she asked, trying to sound casual but the tremble in her voice betraying her.

"I don't _need_ to feed tonight," Anna smiled, closing her eyes contently. "But I also wouldn't mind feeding. I also wouldn't mind sex," she added impishly, "but only if you're in the mood."

Elsa huffed. "Even if I weren't, that would probably change as soon as you reveal your fangs."

Anna opened a single eye, finding Elsa staring down at her intently. She parted her lips slightly, ensuring the Elsa could hear the soft click of her fangs extending, and finding herself rewarded with a sharp intake of breath, as well as the blood creeping up Elsa's cheeks.

Anna opened her mouth a little further, slowly running her tongue up and down her fangs. She tried very hard not to show how smug she felt about being able to wind Elsa up this easily – her fangs were entirely normal for Anna, and she didn't find anything sexy about them herself, but was nonetheless happy to know she could have this effect on Elsa.

Before she could take things any further, she felt Elsa shifting underneath her, and suddenly getting up. She stretched her arms out to break her fall, only to find Elsa's strong arms hooked underneath her knees and arms, the blonde carrying her to the bedroom without a word as if Anna were just a doll.

Elsa gently dropped her onto the bed, looking down upon her for a few moments in complete silence. Then, with a frustrated growl, she started pulling Anna's shirt over her head, causing the redhead to giggle softly, before helping ease the process. As soon as her face wasn't covered by her clothes anymore, Elsa crashed their mouths together, her tongue immediately invading Anna's mouth.

Once they parted, Anna smiled slyly. "Since when are you so frantic?" she asked, folding her fangs away to make her speech easier.

"Fangs. Out. Now," Elsa growled as she pulled Anna's face towards her own again, her other hand unclasping her bra. With an amused smile, Anna brought her fangs out again, shivering slightly as Elsa ran her tongue down her teeth and moaned into her mouth.

They shed the rest of their clothing clumsily, never ceasing their kissing. Once they were both naked, Anna felt Elsa pushing her backwards, onto her back, as the blonde climbed on top of her. "You're so beautiful," Elsa murmured dreamily as her eyes raked over Anna's body.

Anna smiled shyly while Elsa pushed a strand of red hair behind her ears, her fingernail gently scraping across the length of her pointy ear. "So. Damn. Gorgeous," Anna heard Elsa mutter against her throat, planting kisses on her skin in between each word. Before long, Elsa reached her breasts, gently sucking and kissing her nipples while her hands traveled further downwards.

By the time Elsa's hands reached the inside of Anna's thighs, the redhead was squirming with desire, shooting the blonde pleading looks. Elsa removed her hands from Anna's body, instead resting them on both sides of her head as she pulled herself slightly upwards again, reclaiming Anna's mouth in a fiery kiss.

Somewhere halfway through the kiss, Anna started to notice the faintly metallic taste of blood, sending her body in an immediate overdrive. It took her a while to realize that it must have come from Elsa, and when she did, she immediately retracted her fangs again. Much to her surprise, she received a disgruntled murmur.

When they broke apart again, Elsa looked down at her with arched brows. "Is something wrong?"

"You're bleeding," Anna pointed out. "I think I may have been a little careless with my fangs."

"Is that why you got rid of them again? Because really, it's nothing to worry about. Just a small nick on my tongue, and it was my fault, not yours."

"Are you sure?"

"I love your fangs, Anna. Could you please…"

Before Elsa could finish her question, they both heard the tell-tale click of Anna's fangs. Contrary to Anna's expectations, however, Elsa didn't resume their kiss, and instead started trailing kisses down her body, eventually reaching the small patch of red hair between her legs. Elsa's fingers gently stroked Anna's sex for a few seconds, before parting her slightly, allowing easy access for Elsa's tongue.

As soon as Elsa's warm tongue ran over Anna's sex, she bucked her hips up, eliciting a small giggle from Elsa, who pushed her back into the mattress firmly. "Just lay back, gorgeous," Elsa smiled alluringly.

Anna yelped and arched her back as Elsa flattened her tongue against her sex, her fingers gently exploring alongside it. Her moaning became progressively louder as Elsa slowly pushed two fingers inside her, never relenting the lapping of her tongue.

Anna only managed to hold her orgasm off for a few minutes, after which she climaxed with a loud scream, digging her nails into the scalp of Elsa's head. When she came down from her high, she noticed Elsa plopping down beside her, alluringly licking her lips. "I wondered what you'd taste like," she whispered softly, twisting an auburn strand around her long finger.

"And?"

"Marvelous. Very much so," Elsa smiled, giving Anna a chaste peck on her lips. Anna, deciding she had been laying on her back for long enough, swiftly turned moved on top of Elsa. "Now, I'm going to kiss you. Be careful of my fangs this time, okay?"

Elsa smiled sweetly up at her. "Anna, I _always_ take care around your fangs. Don't worry so much."

"Clearly you don't," Anna smiled mischievously, "or you wouldn't have cut yourself." Despite the warning words, she leant downwards, trying hard to suppress a smile at Elsa's eagerness. The foreign taste of her own arousal on Elsa's lips didn't bother her in the slightest, and she would have continued kissing much longer if Elsa hadn't shifted her position and opened her legs.

The scent of blood drifted up towards Anna's face, stinging the insides of her nose and causing a low rumbling sound to erupt from her throat. She dislodged her mouth from Elsa's, swiftly trailing her tongue down to Elsa's breasts and stomach, and further down until she found herself between Elsa's legs. She smiled to herself as she watched Elsa close her eyes and turn her head away.

No longer able to restrain herself, Anna flattened her tongue against Elsa's folds, reveling at the metallic taste of blood and the slightly musky aftertaste. As she swallowed it down, she felt the energy coursing through her veins, resulting in the undeniable urge to stretch her fingers and wiggle her toes.

Anna made sure to focus her attention everywhere but Elsa's clit, ensuring that the pleasure would last as long as possible – mainly for Elsa's sake, although the extra feeding time was a good second motivator. This being the third time she was doing this, Anna was getting a good feeling for Elsa's preferences, and she thought she knew how long she could extend their fun before Elsa would plead for her release.

And just before that moment came, Anna forcefully flicked her tongue upwards, causing a sharp gasp and hiss from Elsa, followed by a long-stretched moan, and then a happy sigh. Anna's lips quirked into a smile as Elsa's fingers started playing with a hair, causing her fangs to gently scrape across Elsa's sex – which elicited another soft yelp.

As she continued her ministrations, Anna made sure to occasionally make Elsa feel her fangs, seeing as she seemed to love them so much. It didn't take much more than that for Elsa to climax, during which she called out Anna's name loudly and arched her back. As soon as the blonde relaxed again, Anna made her way to the bathroom.

Looking in the mirror, she had to admit that she formed quite a savage image, blood smeared across the lower half of her face, her fangs glimmering brightly in the light of the bathroom lamp, her crimson eyes staring back at her wildly. She shook her head forcefully, returning to her more human appearance. Truth be told, she _really _didn't like seeing herself like that. Nor could she understand what appeal Elsa could possibly find in it.

Somehow, her bloody face looked even more disturbing without her vampiric features, though, so she quickly lowered her head under the faucet, rubbing her hands across her face to dislodge the filth from her face. During her first visit, she had found a bottle of mouthwash in the medicine cabinet, and she had decided to use it again yesterday – and she decided to use it again now, since Elsa hadn't complained about kissing her after the feeding.

When she skipped back into the bedroom, feeling better than she had in a long time, Elsa was just closing the curtains. That one simple action somehow filled Anna's heart with more affection than she had anticipated, and she jumped towards the blonde, enveloping her in a strong surprise-hug. As they teetered backwards and landed onto the bed, they both erupted in laughter.

"What did I do to deserve this treat?" Elsa asked eventually.

"Just you being you," Anna answered, as if that explained everything. In the back of her mind, she was vaguely aware of the fact that it did in fact not answer anything, but as Elsa covered her up with the blanket, she found that she didn't really care either way.

After all, it was the truth.

* * *

Anna was fiddling. Elsa was pretty sure Anna was nervous about something, and she was pretty sure it had something to do with the text message she had received earlier that morning. Because immediately after that, Anna had started acting weird. In fact, she had started cleaning Elsa's kitchen for no apparent reason, avoiding eye contact and keeping conversation to a minimum.

At first, Elsa hadn't minded too much – whatever was bothering Anna would surely either resolve itself, or be brought to her attention when necessary – and she could use the alone-time to finish that horrid assignment. However, now that she had finished that, and Anna was still being weird, and Elsa was slowly starting to freak out.

Without further ado, she grabbed Anna's shoulders and led her to the couch, unceremoniously pushing her down onto it. "Anna, what's wrong?"

For a few seconds, it looked like Anna wasn't going to answer, but then she seemed to change her mind. "Lunch!"

"Lunch is wrong?"

"No, lunch is good."

"Then what's wrong?" Elsa asked, completely baffled.

Anna reached for the table, grabbing her phone and tapping the screen a few times before pushing it in Elsa's hands. Elsa looked at the text message on the screen. "Borges! I hear you have a new mate, and your parents disapprove. I really need to meet this guy (chick?) so we wanna have lunch with the two of you today. Refusal is not an option, Anna! 1 pm, at Tiana's. Be there, and bring the mate!" Elsa muttered out loud as she read the text. "Who's Hans?"

Anna rubbed the bridge of her nose a while. "A friend. And a vampire. Our families go way, way back."

"Okay… But I don't really get what the problem is."

"I don't know how to ask you whether you want to go and have lunch with a vampire friend!" Anna almost whined.

"I'm fairly sure you just did, sort of," Elsa giggled, ruffling Anna's hair. "Of course I'll come with you. It'd be nice to meet a friend of yours."

"Really?"

"Truly."

* * *

Tiana's place was busy, loud and hectic, the waitresses zigzagging between the table, precariously balancing plates and glasses while customers battled for their attention. Anna and Elsa were seated at a table in the back, away from the windows that allowed the filtered sunlight to enter the café.

"Eh, Elsa?" Anna asked nervously, fiddling with her fingers again. "I forgot to mention, Hans will probably be bringing his thrall."

"Thrall?" Elsa asked incredulously. "Please tell me that's not what I think it is…"

"It's not what you think it is," Anna responded dryly, "it's basically his blood donor. People who know of vampires and enjoy being bitten. Over time, they generally become really good friends with the vampire that feeds of them. It is, after all, a rather… intimate thing to be doing together."

"I imagine so, yes," Elsa muttered. "Stop fretting so much, you'll grow wrinkles and grey hair if you keep this up."

Anna released a short peal of laughter. "Oh Elsa, if only that were true. Stilling, remember?"

"Right. No wrinkles and grey hairs for my dearest Anna," Elsa smiled, ruffling Anna's hair again.

"Hey! Stop that, you-"

"You two dorks are really cute together, you know that?" a male voice came from behind them, causing Anna and Elsa to suddenly straighten in their seats.

"Hey now, don't stop on my account," the red-haired man laughed, idly scratching his left sideburn. "I was enjoying the show."

"Well, then you should've kept your big mouth shut and not interrupted us!" Anna snapped back, followed by a cheeky grin. "But that would've defeated the purpose of lunching together. Hans, this is Elsa. Elsa, this is Hans. And euh…"

Hans shook Elsa's hand and casually waved his hand at the young man next to him. "This is my friend Lawrence."

"He means to say I'm his thrall," Lawrence smiled, although the smile didn't reach his eyes. "Provided _you_ actually know what a thrall is."

"As a matter of fact, I do. It means you're his food," Elsa responded coldly, eliciting laughs from both Anna and Hans.

"Oh boy, Anna. I like this one, make sure to keep her around, will you?" Hans laughed. "And Lawrence, be nice to Anna's girlfriend, or I'll drain you like a faulty sewer."

Lawrence sat down opposite Elsa, crossing his arms and shooting toxic glances across the table. Hans, meanwhile, waved a waitress over with a charismatic smile, and the entire group ordered drinks. "Have to say, Anna… I can see why your old folks aren't too happy with you right now. You go gallivanting off with a human. And a girl. And to make things worse, you don't seem to have fed off her," Hans said, immediately jumping into dangerous waters.

"I _have_ fed off her, I just didn't bite her to do so," Anna replied carelessly, as if the entire topic was of no interest to her. "Not that's it any of your business, though."

"You're right," Hans sighed, "it's not. I'm just trying to look out for you, Anna. You may be a little older than I am, but that doesn't mean I can't worry for a friend, right? You know as well as I do that your parents will be pissed because of Elsa." He cringed slightly at his own words and turned to the blonde. "No offense, I think you're lovely."

"None taken," Elsa smiled back.

Lawrence snorted audibly, but immediately reigned his attitude in when Hans' hand firmly grasped his shoulder. "I recall saying something about being nice to the girlfriend. In case my request was not enough of an incentive, you'd do well to remember that Anna is older than I am, which technically makes her my superior. So, if she were to decide to attack you, I would neither be able or allowed to stop her…" Hans let the sentence dangle ominously.

"How does that work?" Elsa asked curiously. "Because she's older, she's stronger and more important?"

Lawrence smiled maliciously. "You really don't know anything about vampire culture, do you?" he asked, his tone almost a sneer.

Elsa wasn't exactly sure what happened, but for some reason she felt rage overtaking her rationale. Maybe it was because, deep down, she knew the bastard was right. "I know enough to be able to tell you should shut up, before I ask Anna to hurt you. I know her quite well, and I'm guessing she'll do it if I ask nicely," Elsa said, the icy tone in her voice clearly conveying the threat.

"She's right, y'know," Anna muttered casually, eyeing Lawrence suspiciously.

Hans merely erupted in a new bout of laughter. "Dear lord, Anna, where did you get this one? She's great. Really, if you mess up with this one, I'll make sure you're alone for the rest of your long, long life, Anna." His laughter subsided, and he turned to Elsa. "To answer your question, yes. Anna's more powerful than I am because she's older. And in our culture, the one who is older is generally considered to be in the right when there is a conflict of some sort. The younger party can then lobby for the approval or agreement of a vampire older than his adversary to win the argument."

"No disrespect intended," Elsa started slowly, "but that sounds like a really unfair justice system."

Anna nodded. "You're right, it is. But it's an old system, and the younger generations can't just break with it. That would, naturally, require the agreement of the older vampires. And they're not going to let go of their hold over us that easily."

There was a short silence while the waitress placed their drinks on their table and took their lunch orders. Anna took a small sip of her drink before speaking up again. "So, I take it my parents went to your parents for parenting advice on their unruly daughter?"

"They did indeed," Hans confirmed, nodding slowly.

"And you overheard them?"

"More like spied on them, really. The things I do for my friends," he sighed, shaking his head in jest. "Anyway, they're not really _mad_ with you. Mostly confused and maybe a bit disappointed. As far as I understood them, they don't really mind the gayness of the situation, but they're rather perturbed by the fact that you outright refuse to bite her. Or anyone else, for that matter. They argue it's only natural, and while they don't necessarily disapprove of your alternate feeding methods, they don't really understand your reasons for doing things your way."

Anna groaned loudly, lowering her head in her hands. "I tried explaining over and over again. They're just too thickheaded to understand anything I say."

"Maybe you should just bite her?" Lawrence supplied, undoubtedly attempting to be helpful, but immediately being shut up by the harsh glare of Anna's crimson-red eyes. Elsa wavered for a short moment, before grasping Anna's hand. "Sweetheart. I know you don't want to hear this, but… maybe he's right? I mean, if biting me could mean you and your parents could put all this behind you…"

"No, Elsa. I'm not going to bite you just because _they_ want me to. I will feed the way I want to, and the only person who's opinion and preferences matter to me is you. If I ever bite you, it is because you and I both want it to happen. And right now, neither of us wants it, so it's just not happening."

Hans chuckled softly. "That's the spirit, Anna. Don't let the old geezers dissuade you from your opinions and beliefs."

Just then the waitress brought their food, and they ate most of it in silence, occasionally remarking on something insignificant, like the weather, life at college, or something as dreadfully dull as politics. When they had all finished their food, Hans paid for their meals, and insisted on walking them to their car.

The sun outside was present, but most of its strength was reduced by the clouds – making it a considerable less pleasant day than yesterday had been. Or more pleasant, depending on who you'd ask. When they reached the parking lot where Elsa had parked their car, they found it to be mostly deserted.

While Anna and Hans were exchanging some pleasantries and saying their goodbyes, a loud, clapping noise suddenly rang through the parking lot, immediately followed by a stinging pain on Elsa's behind. "Well, Els! I guess we'll catch you later!" Lawrence laughed, his hand lingering on the back of her jeans for a brief moment.

Before Elsa could do anything, there was a rushing sound, and the next thing she knew, she was watching Lawrence dangling in the air. Anna's left hand was firmly clasped around his throat, which Lawrence was now trying to free with both of his hands – unsuccessfully so. Anna's eyes were a fiery red and as she opened her mouth, Elsa could clearly see her fangs protruding over her bottom lip.

"Don't you ever dare touch what's mine again," Anna growled in a dangerously low voice. "Elsa's mine, and mine alone. Do you understand?"

Lawrence's hands were frantically clawing at Anna's fingers, trying to remove them from his throat. "Hans… Please… Help!"

Hans casually leant against Elsa's car, dusting off the shoulder of his jacket. "I told you, Lawrence. Anna's older, so I'm not allowed to stop her. Even if I were to try, I'd fail. She could probably beat me with one hand still lodged around your pretty little throat. And I happen to think you've actually earned this. You were pretty rude." There were a few seconds of silence. "That being said, Anna, would you please try to keep my sustenance _alive_?"

Anna cocked her head to the side, her grip not relenting. "I asked you a question, _sustenance_," she growled.

"Anna, that's enough," Elsa said calmly, yet with an amazing amount of authority lacing her voice. As if she was suddenly burnt, Anna let Lawrence go, the man falling to the ground in a crumpled heap, gasping for air.

"I'm sorry," Anna immediately muttered, turning to embrace Elsa. "I'm so sorry."

"Hey, don't apologize. You didn't do anything wrong, sweetheart," Elsa cooed softly. "I just didn't want Hans to have to go through the trouble of finding a new thrall, and Lawrence is too much of an idiot to know when to admit defeat."

Anna smiled and nodded, giving Elsa a quick peck on the lips before folding her fangs away again. She opened the car door on the passenger's side, turning to Lawrence before getting in. "You're lucky Elsa is so much more forgiving than I am. Next time, I won't let go."

And with those parting words she got in the car and closed the door. Elsa walked over to the driver's side, abruptly being stopped by Hans. "Thank you for considering my plight," he muttered softly. "I'll make sure Lawrence gets some lessons in proper etiquette."

Elsa nodded briskly, shaking Hans' hand before getting into the car and driving off. They were three blocks removed from the parking lot when Anna finally said something. "So now you've seen what happens when a vampire gets really angry. I'm sorry, Elsa. That must have been pretty scary and disturbing for you…"

"Not really," Elsa shrugged. "In fact, I thought it was dreadfully romantic, you defending me in such a way…"

"You did?"

"Absolutely. Although I do think we shouldn't make a habit out of it. Especially in more populated areas."

Anna turned her head to the roof for a moment, before grinning at Elsa. "Yeah, I think I can do that."

* * *

Elsa was laying on her bed, staring at the window and the ceiling alternately. It had been four days since she had found Anna at her door, and she had found that even the most mundane activities became fun. She had taken Anna for grocery shopping, which had resulted in a series of pictures involving copious amounts of tomato sauce. When Elsa had taken Anna to campus to hand in her assignment with her professor, the three of them had gotten involved in a lengthy discussion about the existence of supernatural beings amongst the population – Elsa was still snickering because of the irony on that one.

Truth be told, life was simply more fun when Anna was around. She was energetic, enigmatic and incredibly exciting to be around. Elsa was certain that she would never grow tired of the little redhead that was currently occupying her shower – something she had started doing after feeding on Elsa recently. And feeding happened every night, both of them using it as a convenient excuse to have sex as often as possible.

The incessant jingling of a phone that was most certainly not her own tore her away from her thoughts. She reached over to the nightstand to pick the phone up, and pattered to the bathroom. "Anna, your phone."

"Just accept that call, Els," Anna called from underneath the steaming water. "I'm currently unavailable due to… due to… You'll think of something!"

Elsa rolled her eyes and looked at the phone, obviously not recognizing the number on the display, and sighing as she accepted the call and brought it to her ear. "Anna's phone, this is Elsa speaking."

"Good evening, Miss Snow. This is Roger Borges. I assume my daughter has not told you anything about me, but we know a great deal about you," a heavy voice spoke from the other side of the line. "You might have realized by now that my wife and I are not on the best terms with our daughter. However, we do care for her deeply. As such, we wanted to invite you for dinner tomorrow, if that would suit you."

Elsa was completely baffled for a moment. The man on the phone sounded like a polite and well-mannered man, despite all the accounts Anna had given him – which had given Elsa the impression that he must have been some sort of tyrannical monster. "Well, sir, that's very kind of you, but-"

"No, no, I must insist, Miss Snow. Really, if Anna deems you important enough to have in her life, we would very much like to make your acquaintance. And I do believe it is folly for our daughter and us to leave this conflict between us unresolved."

"Very well," Elsa sighed into the phone.

"Splendid! Splendid indeed. I feel confident that Anna will still remember where we live, as well as our usual dinner arrangements. Please, do make sure to be on time. Despite our daughter's tardiness, we are actually rather punctual ourselves."

"Duly noted," Elsa said, rolling her eyes to no one in particular, "we will see you tomorrow, sir."

"Looking forward to it."

As Elsa disconnected the call and placed the phone back on the nightstand, Anna came sauntering into the bedroom, casually drying her hair with a towel, causing her breasts to move from side to side – a mesmerizing sight for Elsa. "I have eyes, and they're a little higher than your current focus," Anna said affectionately, not able to keep a cheeky smile of her face. "Who was on the phone?"

Elsa suddenly started feeling uncomfortable. She had just agreed to a family dinner with Anna's family, without actually conferring with Anna herself. "Euh… Your father?"

Anna's face immediately fell, a frown forming on her pretty features. "Huh. What did he want?"

"We were sort of forced into having dinner with your parents tomorrow…" Elsa muttered quietly, her shoulders slumping down. To her surprise, Anna chuckled grimly.

"Let me guess, he used the 'oh, I'm so polite you cannot possibly refuse my offer' tactic?"

Elsa nodded slowly, never taking her eyes off the carpet. Anna walked over to her, still bare naked, and pulled Elsa's face upwards. "Don't worry about it. Unlike me, you'll get wrinkles," she smiled. "Besides, I knew I'd have to get this over with sooner or later. Might as well be tomorrow, then."

"You're not mad?"

"With you? Never. I did, after all, let you take the call. Any decisions resulting from that are as much my responsibility as they are yours. We're in this mess together, okay?"

They laid down in the bed, covering themselves with the blankets. Elsa smiled shyly at Anna, who gently caressed her cheek. "Yes, that's okay. As long as we're together."

* * *

The only two words that Elsa could think of to describe the Borges family home were "huge" and "old." It took them nearly ten minutes to get from the front gate to the end of the driveway, where a valet stood waiting to take Elsa's car around to the back and park it for her.

Anna had warned her that she came from a wealthy and old family, but somehow Elsa had imagined that meant they had a nice suburban house. Not a small castle outside the city. This was an entirely different level of rich than Elsa had been used to so far.

When they walked through the large mahogany doors, Elsa felt as if she had walked into a different time period altogether – the spacious hallway they'd just entered felt like it would belong to a castle like Hogwarts. Anna didn't seem fazed, logically so since she was born here, and casually waved the approaching servant away. "I know the way to the dining room."

Elsa followed her redhead girlfriend through the winding passages of the building, until she eventually stopped in front of a closed door. "My parents will be in here," Anna said waveringly. "I don't think they'll be overtly rude to you, but there might be some snide remarks. Whenever you feel the need to leave, just say the word and we'll go home."

"We'll be fine, Anna," Elsa said, gently cupping her cheek and capturing her lips in a quick kiss. As soon as they moved away from each other again, Anna pushed the door open, revealing a large dining room with a long wooden dining table – only half of which was actually in use, given the small company.

Elsa's eyes immediately shot to Anna's parents, who got up from their seats and took a few steps towards them. Had she not known they were vampires, she would have guessed they were in their mid-forties. Anna clearly got her looks from her mother, who had the same sun-kissed skin and auburn hair, albeit with considerably less freckles and an inherent sense of grace. Anna's father was a tall, slim man with well-groomed black hair, greying near his temples, and an equally well-groomed beard. "Anna, Miss Snow, welcome!" the man said, extending his hand. "I'm Roger Borges, we spoke over the phone. This is my lovely wife Sara."

Elsa shook their hands, after which they were gently herded to their seats. "Truly, Miss Snow, it is a pleasure to meet you. Anna has told us a lot about you. In fact, you've been a point of discussion around here for the past month or so."

Elsa immediately noticed Anna's blush at the remark, and decided to take the conversation in another direction. "Thank you, Mr. Borges. You have a beautiful home."

"Please, please, call me Roger. Mr. Borges makes me feel so incredibly old. And thank you, it has been in our family for the past two generations."

Sara Borges looked at Anna for a moment, before speaking for the first time. "Anna, darling, you look so much better than last time we saw you. I'm glad you've resumed feeding again. You _have_ resumed feeding again, haven't you?"

"Yes, mother," Anna replied with a small dip of her head. "I've been feeding every day since I left."

Elsa noticed how all eyes were suddenly focused on her, until Roger smiled. "And yet I see there are no bite marks on your beloved."

Anna fiddled with her fingers as she answered. "I could've bitten her somewhere where you just can't see it, dad. But you're right, I didn't."

"Is it then safe to assume that miss Snow is experiencing her monthly discomfort?"

"It is…"

"Anna, you know this is only a temporary solution. Sooner or later you're going to have to find a better way of feeding. You can't go an entire month without. I'm sure you've learned that by now."

Anna sighed subtly before squaring her shoulders. "How about you just let me decide about my feeding routine? I'm not dishonouring you in any way by doing things my way. Sure, everyone will think I'm the odd one of the family, but that's already the case, isn't it?"

"We're not judging, love," Sara interjected before Roger could say anything. "We're just worried about you. Seeing you deprived of your feeding source for a whole month wasn't just painful for you. You have every right to live your life as you see fit – there are, of course, certain exceptions – but we really just want to see you happy and healthy."

"I _am_ happy, mom. And as you can see, also quite healthy. Elsa and I have everything figured out, so I'd really like you to just accept things as we want to do them."

At that point, the servants brought out their dinner, and conversation turned towards different topics. Elsa was somewhat surprised to find that Anna's parents took a great interest in her, her studies and the things she did and did not like doing. Elsa answered all the questions to the best of her abilities, sometimes including a little anecdote from her childhood.

In return, Anna's parents entertained them with tales of their own lives – or parts of their lives, at least – such as the French Revolution and the Italian Renaissance. Elsa marveled at the amount of history they had been able to witness, ranging across the centuries and eras.

Despite her expectations, Elsa actually found that she was enjoying herself, and by the looks of it Anna was too. When they had all cleared their plates, they were invited to stay a little longer and join them for coffee or tea later – an invitation Anna readily accepted.

"Anna, love, I do need to talk to you about Hans and Lawrence. It appears the thrall was none too pleased with your treatment. I'm certain you handled the situation properly, but I'd like to go over it nonetheless, if you do not mind?"

"Of course, mother," Anna smiled. "Elsa, will you be alright for a while?"

Elsa was about to nod when Roger declared that he'd look after her personally and wouldn't let her grow bored or lost.

"Thanks dad. Oh! Elsa's interested in vampire history, so I was thinking she could maybe read a few books from your library, if that's alright with you?"

Roger led Elsa to a spacious library, occasionally remarking on architectural features or some of the artworks hanging from the walls. Once they reached the library, he spread his arms in a grand gesture. "Well, here we are. Tell me, Miss Snow, where lie your interests?"

"Just Elsa is fine, sir. I'd like to have some sort of overview on the history of your race, if I could. And it'd be really nice if there was some book that could give me the basics of vampire culture. I sometimes feel like I'm stumbling around in the dark, simply because I don't know the rules and basics of your culture."

Roger stroked his beard for a few moments, his eyes scanning the shelves while thinking about which books would be most suitable for Elsa's endeavors. After a while, he reached for several tomes with a resounding "ahha!"

He placed three rather large books on a small table. "This is a 'brief' history of the Vampires, it discusses our race starting somewhere around the year 500 and up to the late twentieth century. I tried to get Anna to read it several times, but she does not seem to have a penchant for learning. You could consider this one a handbook to vampire society for humans, in a way. It should be very enlightening, and if you have any questions after reading it, I'm certain Anna will be able to clarify them. If not, do not hesitate to contact me."

He hesitated a while before handing Elsa the next book, turning it around in his hands several times before making a decision. "This here is an explanation of different ways for vampires to turn humans. To make them vampires. I'm not certain I should be giving it to you, since we _did_ promise not to involve ourselves in your affairs…"

"Anna has made it pretty clear that she doesn't want me to be like her," Elsa said, though she did reach out to accept the book.

"Yes, well. Consider this advice from an old man: it is as much your decision as it is hers. Provided the two of you remain together, it is a decision you should make together as well. Anything less would not be fair. Still, I advise reading the book, even if it is only out of a theoretical interest."

"Thank you," Elsa started, weighing the three books in her hands, "but I couldn't possibly read all these books in one night."

"Oh no! Do take them with you, please. I'm certain you'll return them to me as soon as you can, I'm not worried. Although I should warn you that these books mustn't be read by anyone besides yourself, of course."

"Of course," Elsa smiled. "Is there any way I could bring these back to my car?"

"Gerard!" Roger called. "Could you please bring these three books to Miss Snow's car?"

The servant took the books from Elsa's arms and scurried off at a rapid pace. Elsa and Roger continued perusing the library for a while longer, with Elsa firing off a barrage of questions about subjects ranging from architecture to vampiric biology, and Roger attempting to answer each question as best as he could.

Elsa wasn't exactly sure how long they'd been in the library when a servant came to announce that Miss and Mrs. Borges were waiting for them in the parlor. As they made their way there, Roger promised Elsa that she could make use of his library whenever she felt the need or desire to do so – an offer that Elsa felt certain she'd take him up on in time.

They did indeed find Anna and Sara chatting amiably in the parlor, where coffee and tea was already provided. Elsa took a seat next to Anna, smiling as Sara poured her a cup as well. "Did you enjoy the library?"

"Yes, very much so. It is a remarkable collection," Elsa replied with a happy smile.

Sara nodded, her eyes lighting up a little. "It's good to see you're so interested in knowledge. After all, we've never been able to coax Anna anywhere near the library. Not even with chocolate."

"Mom!" Anna cried out in horror. "Let's lay off the embarrassing childhood stories until the second time we visit… please!"

Roger merely chuckled, taking a sip from his coffee. "Then I shall save the story of you going to the hospital because you tried to eat a tree for later," he murmured, just loud enough for everyone to make it out. Anna clasped her hands over her face and released a long groan.

"Oh, please, do tell," Elsa said with a wide smile. "Now I'm getting curious…"

"Hm, let's see. I think Anna was six, and she had just developed the ability to control her fangs. We had been practicing all morning, after which I had to get some work done and left Anna in front of the television to watch some kind of documentary."

Anna removed her hands, her face still beet-red. "Everything that happened after that was your fault, dad. You shouldn't have left a little kid with fangs to watch a documentary about beavers."

There was a round of laughter as Elsa realized exactly what had happened, and Roger elaborated on how Anna had tried to use her fangs to fell one of the trees in their backyard, until she was stopped by one of her siblings.

Their conversation lasted for half an hour longer, after which two people silently entered the parlor. Elsa noticed them before anyone else – a young, fit male dressed in only his jeans, and a young woman clad in an elegant black dress. Following Elsa's gaze, Roger got up from his seat.

"Ah, Gloria, Sebastian, please wait outside. We'll be ready for you in a few minutes."

The couple nodded solemnly and stepped outside again, and Sara and Anna also rose from their seats – urging Elsa to do the same. "I'm terribly sorry to cut the visit off like this, but it appears it is time for us to feed," Sara said with a gentle smile. "Anna, thank you for coming over. Elsa, it was lovely meeting you. I do hope the two of you will visit more often."

After quickly saying their goodbyes, Anna led them to the garage, where they found Elsa's car waiting for them. Anna was quiet for a long time, and only spoke once they've passed the gates of the estate. "Well, that was actually a little enjoyable, I think. Did you have a good time?"

"I did," Elsa smiled, gently rubbing Anna's shoulder. "Your parents are not nearly as bad as I feared they'd be. Your father even borrowed me some of his books."

Anna leaned sideways, gently resting her head on Elsa's shoulder. "I'm glad."

There was a tense pause while they were both thinking in silence, and again Anna was the one to break the silence. "Elsa… I don't want to freak you out, but I think I love you."

The slight chuckle that emanated from Elsa caused Anna's head to be shaken a little. "I'm fairly certain the feeling is reciprocated, Anna," she replied silently.

* * *

**Well, that's that. That was quite a read, wasn't it? But you got through it! Congratulations. Now, if you'd permit me to demand a little more of your time, I'd really like to ask you to leave a review in the lovely box below. Reviews are awesome, and you'd make me a very happy girl if you'd honor me with yours! :)**

**Also. This was, as I said before, the last "planned" chapter of Eating Habits. But we're not done yet! I still have a few ideas in mind that I'd like to work out, and yes, I will be accepting suggestions and requests from my lovely readers! So, if you have something that you'd like to see me write into this universe, don't hesitate to send me a PM, and I'll see what I can do! (No promises though, because those always come back to bite me... D:)**


	4. Chapter 4

_At the time of writing this text, only four notable families of our species are in existence. Whereas there were once over seventy substantial families of the vampire race, these numbers have been dwindled down over the centuries. More detailed information about the cause for this development will be provided later on, in chapter four._

_The first of the remaining family is the House of Rosario, headed by the patriarch Salome and his wife, who have conceived, by the author's estimated count, 341 children. Their family hails from Italy, though their descendants have spread all over Central Europe, and have even moved beyond the borders of their continent. This family is known for their ruthless disposition towards humans, feeling that they form an adequate supply of new-born vampires. Many of the members of this House are turned vampires, rather than biological children. For the three decades leading up to this text, the other families have kept the Rosario's on a tight leash._

_The second notable family is House Thorne, hailing and still heavily present in the United Kingdom. These vampires pride themselves on being the oldest remaining family, although this claim is often debated by the other families. Thorne vampires are almost exclusively biologically born, although they have been known to turn former Thralls into family members, if they so desired. It is very rare for members of this family to leave the United Kingdom, which is mainly attributed to the fact that The British Isles often have an isolated mindset._

_The third notable family is House Morvant, whose origins and history are mostly shrouded in history. Lady Celeste, the Matriarch of this family, has ordered all her family members back to her estate after the death of her husband. Interactions with Morvant vampires are few and far between, and at the time of writing, the last sighting of a Morvant vampire was four decades ago._

_The final family of note is House Borges, originating from Eastern Europe, but having moved to the Americas not long after the discovery of the New World. The family is led by Roger and Sara, who share the dominion over their offspring, seemingly equally. House Borges has been the most fervent opponent of forcefully turning humans, and their members take pride in respecting humankind the way they are._

Elsa looked up from the dusty pages of her book, eyes quickly headed for the clock on the far wall. She'd been studying the vampire texts Anna's father had lent her for the past few hours, and in a certain way, it was as if she were learning about Anna herself. After all, Elsa couldn't truly understand her girlfriend if she did not understand her species, culture and customs.

Anna was playing games on Elsa's laptop, occasionally remarking on Elsa's uncanny ability to stare at 'boring squiggly scrawling on dead animal skin.' Each time, Elsa had simply rolled her eyes and playfully jabbed Anna's side, sometimes adding a remark about the redhead wasting time with infantile games meant for little children.

Anna did not seem to mind in the slightest, though, and neither did Elsa. The blonde decided that she'd done enough reading from this particular book for now, and carefully moved it aside, taking great care to mark the page where she'd left off.

As she picked up the next book, hoping to read up on vampire-human relations, a bundle of parchment slid out from underneath its cover. Anna's eyes were still trained on the screen of the laptop, so Elsa picked it up from the floor and gently opened it. She quickly glanced at the title at the top of the parchment: 'Vampires Born in the Seventeenth Cycle: Biological.' She mentally shrugged, and was about to replace the document inside the book, when her eyes caught on to something

_Hans Thorne, a.k.a. Westerguard_

_Born: 1994_

_Stilling: -_

_Current traits: Auburn hair, muscular and tall physique, sideburns, brown eyes_

_Hans Thorne, often using the name Westerguard, is the seventeenth son of Elias and Samantha Thorne, the current heads of the British House of Thorne. At the time of writing, his stilling has not yet taken place, thus this document will be updated when needed._

_Like most of his brethren, Hans feeds through a Thrall, seemingly preferring males over females. He appears charming and social, with a radiant smile and jovial mannerisms. He is one of thirteen known Thorne-vampires to have left the United Kingdom, instead residing in the United States. _

_Vampire is sterile. At this point in time, he is not considered a threat to the Secrecy._

Elsa frowned slightly, her eyes skimming across the document, noticing that there were about twenty vampires on it, and a similar piece of text on all of them. Somehow, she figured this was something that was not supposed to be in her hands, yet curiosity urged her on until she'd found what she had been looking for.

_Anna Borges_

_Born: 1993_

_Stilling: 2014 (aged 20)_

_Traits: Shoulder-length auburn hair, tan skin, freckled visage, blue eyes, slender build_

_Anna Borges is the twenty-third child of Roger and Sara Borges, current heads of the House of Borges. Her stilling took place during her twentieth year of life._

_Anna seems to be out of sync with her vampire heritage, refusing to feed through biting, and instead resorting to wound-licking and monthly feeding. Due to these peculiarities, vampire should be monitored closely – alternate feeding methods cause increased risk of exposing species._

_Vampire is sterile._

"Hey, what are you reading now? This looks even more boring than-" Anna suddenly stopped talking as she peered over Elsa's shoulder, her eyes growing slightly wider. "Elsa… Where'd you get this?"

"It fell out of the book I was reading," Elsa mumbled guiltily. "Why?"

"I'm fairly certain Father didn't mean to give this to you. It's sort of a top-secret document that only the heads of the families should have in their possession."

"What is it?" Elsa asked, folding the parchment back into its former state reluctantly.

"Basically, it's part of a list of all vampires. It bears their names, ages, physical traits and anything else that might be of importance to the race in general. It's used to keep track of our species, sort of, I think."

"Who compiles these documents?" Elsa asked. "They seem to know… well, a lot."

"They do…" Anna began, hesitating before she continued. "They're called the Five, because there are five of them. Ancient vampires, much older than even the oldest family we know of, who are rumoured to be the ancestors of all vampires. No one really knows how they get their knowledge, but they compile these lists and make sure all four families always have an up-to-date copy. I don't think anyone alive has actually even met them, come to think of it."

Anna gently took the parchment from Elsa's hand, moving to tuck it back in the book. Her hand stopped in mid-air when she read the title on the cover. "Did my dad give you this?"

"Yes," Elsa replied hesitantly.

"I told him to leave us be. Why did he give you a book about Turning?" Anna asked, ending the question with a slight rumbling in her throat.

"Anna, don't be mad at him. I asked him for the most basic knowledge, and he gave me these three books. He wasn't sure about this one, but I told him I wanted to know how it worked, at least."

Anna did not seem convinced, though the soft growling came to an end. Elsa considered that a good sign, and continued talking. "He told me that it was our own business, but that, in the end, it was a choice the two of us had to make together. Not just you, or just me, but us both. And to do that, I'd need to be a little more informed…"

Anna sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "I suppose that's true enough," she mumbled. "Though I still stand by my point. I won't turn you."

"I'm not asking you," Elsa replied softly, grabbing a hold of Anna's hand. "Not yet, at least."

Anna shot her a quick glare, before sighing again and giving a small nod. Her grasp on Elsa's hand became a little firmer as she jumped off the couch. "Now, onto the bedroom!"

Elsa laughed, feeling the tension between them slipping away, as if it had never existed. "Anna, don't you think it's a _little_ early to go to sleep?"

Anna looked at Elsa incredulously. "Who said anything about sleeping?" she asked with a coy smile.

Again, Elsa couldn't help but laugh. "Anna… Yesterday was the last day of my period. You can't feed off me tonight," she replied after a short while.

"Oh, I'm well aware. I've been looking forward to it, actually. Being able to kiss you without having to rinse my face and mouth first. We're going to have such a great time!"

Anna's childlike enthusiasm was infectious, and Elsa couldn't help but be swept away by it. A grin split across her face, and before she could even voice her thoughts, Anna had already picked her up bridal-style and was carrying her to the bedroom without any effort.

* * *

It had been three days since the end of her period, and Elsa had been delighted – and frankly also a little surprised – to find that Anna seemed to have no intention of moving out of her apartment. While she normally considered herself to be somewhat reclusive and solitary, she actually found Anna's near-constant presence invigorating.

Anna had insisted on accompanying Elsa to college today, even though she only had a few meetings with professors about assignments she had to do. However, since the sun was so bright today, Elsa had managed to dissuade the enthused redhead from that plan with the promise of unlimited access to her laptop and television, as well as having informed her of the myriad of sweet snacks stored in the cupboard above the kitchen counter.

So it was rather surprising for Elsa to find her girlfriend sitting on a bench in the shade of a large oak on campus, adorned with sunglasses and a large sunhat, waving enthusiastically. Elsa shook her head fondly, smiling as she made her way over to Anna.

"What are you doing here? The sun's shining brightly and it's god-knows how warm!"

Anna smiled up at her as she moved the sunglasses down her nose a little, allowing Elsa to see her eyes. "I figured we'd go out and have a fun day. It's not _that_ sunny!"

Elsa looked to the side for a moment, watching groups of students sitting in the sun, chatting with one another or working on their assignments. None of them seemed to be wearing any warm clothing, or even shirts with long sleeves, and the majority were dressed in shorts and flip-flops.

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely! Let's get ice cream!"

"Well, if you say so," Elsa conceded, slipping her hand in Anna's as the redhead got up from the bench and started walking towards the center of town. It took them ten minutes to reach the ice cream parlor, and by that time Elsa felt beads of sweat starting to form on her forehead.

Anna's hand, however, felt as if she had just taken a swim. Elsa glanced to her side, noticing how often Anna wiped the sweat from her forehead. Inside the shop, the first thing she did was excuse herself to use the toilets, asking Elsa to get her something with as much chocolate as possible.

When Anna returned, Elsa was seated in the back of the shop, two bowls of ice cream waiting in front of her. Anna slipped in the seat across from her, giving Elsa a beatific smile as she sniffed her ice cream. Immediately after, she grabbed the spoon and started shoveling the treat into her mouth.

At that point, conversation was mostly impossible, since Anna barely had enough time to breath in between her bites of ice cream, let alone think about having a conversation. Elsa, finding Anna's manners both disturbing and adorable, quirked an eyebrow.

"What?" Anna asked as she put the spoon down and wiped her mouth clean.

"What do your parents say if they see you eat like that?" Elsa asked teasingly, remembering the perfect etiquette Mr. and Mrs. Borges had displayed during dinner.

"I better make sure they never get to see it. They'd probably disown me and bury me somewhere in a pine box for a few decades."

Elsa's eyes widened with shock. "Vampires do that?"

"What? No! No, no, no. Of course not! I was joking. Mostly."

"Mostly?"

"Rumor has it that the Morvant family is very old-fashioned and still uses the old punishments. But we Borges are modern and cool. Well, more modern and cooler, I suppose."

"Good to know… Shall we go again?"

Anna looked outside and seemed to hesitate for a slight moment, but then she jumped up with such enthusiasm that Elsa started to think she had imagined it.

For the next two hours, Elsa and Anna sauntered to and fro, moving from clothing and shoe stores to music stores and, for some reason, a store that specialized in dishwashers and refrigerators. As they were doing so, and having great fun in the process, Elsa occasionally noted Anna, who continued to sweat excessively.

Elsa also noticed that Anna's walking pace started to fall as they continued on, eventually having decreased to an agonizingly slow strolling. She was about to comment on it when she noticed the fact that Anna's shoulders were slumping heavily, and her head was bowed down low.

Closer inspection revealed that Anna's breathing was labored, and Elsa mentally slapped herself around for not noticing Anna's plight sooner. She untangled her fingers from Anna's, ignoring the feeble and short-lived objections, and wrapped it around Anna's waist instead. Without saying anything, she used that arm to guide Anna around, moving in the opposite direction.

"Els, what are you-"

"We're going home."

"But I thought we were going to-"

"Anna, you can't do this."

"Can't do what?" she asked innocently.

"Putting yourself out in the sun like this and telling me everything is fine! Because, clearly, it isn't!"

It looked as if Anna was going to deny the obvious truth, but apparently she thought better of it before she could utter any words. Instead, she nodded faintly, dragging her feet along with Elsa's pace. They walked in silence for some fifteen minutes, before Elsa pulled Anna a little closer.

"Lean on me, if you need to," she said, smiling down at Anna slightly.

Anna shook her head, but it was only a few minutes before Elsa felt the redhead's weight leaning into her, her breathing growing even more labored than it had already been.

By the time they reached Elsa's apartment complex, the blonde was practically dragging Anna up the stairs and into her own apartment, gently placing her on the couch. As soon as Anna was safely seated, Elsa moved to the windows to pull the curtains closed and darken the room as much as possible.

When she returned to the couch, she feared something was seriously wrong with Anna, who had closed her eyes and wasn't moving anymore. That is, until she opened her mouth and started snoring incessantly. Despite the direness of the situation, Elsa chuckled to herself, her hands deftly removing Anna's shoes.

She pulled one of the dining table's chairs closer to the couch and grabbed her laptop, positioning herself in such a way she could easily keep an eye on Anna while working on one of her assignments.

* * *

Anna woke up to the soft rattling sounds and the softness of a couch. Wiggling her toes revealed that she wasn't wearing shoes. She waited a moment before opening her eyes, trying to recall how she'd gotten where she was right now.

_Ah. Right. _

Maybe it hadn't been such a good idea to go out today. Sure, she could last half an hour, maybe even a full one, in the sunlight without too much discomfort. But to go out and wait for Elsa to be done with her professors, and then go for ice cream, and then go shopping… yeah, that was a bit much. In hindsight.

"I know you're awake," Elsa's voice cut through the silence of the apartment.

Anna opened her eyes slowly, blinking a few times to drive the blurriness from her vision. "How'd you know?"

"You stopped snoring," Elsa replied dryly, getting up from her chair and walking to the kitchen. She returned with a large glass of cold water. "Here, drink this. I think it might help."

"No experience with sun-drained vampires, huh?" Anna joked, giving Elsa a cheeky grin. The look in the blonde's eyes, however, betrayed that she did not find the situation funny at all.

"What were you thinking, Anna?" Elsa asked, the tone of her voice sharper than Anna had anticipated.

"Clearly, I wasn't," Anna responded despondently. "I just…"

"Yes?"

"I felt guilty about the two of us never being able to have fun in the sun. So I figured I'd just put my back in it and show the sun who's boss. All I wanted was to have some quality time with you."

Elsa closed her eyes and sighed deeply. When she opened them again, all anger had disappeared. "Anna… You're a vampire. That's a fact, and it's something neither you nor I can change. But, honestly, I wouldn't even _want_ to change it if I could. I like you the way you are, really I do. If having you as my girlfriend means not being able to go to the beach or going out shopping on sunny days, then so be it. It's a small price to pay for having you with me. Just… please, promise me you'll never do this again?"

"I promise," Anna replied, her voice small with emotion.

"I mean it, Anna," Elsa emphasized. "When you passed out, I had no idea what to do. I didn't know if it was serious and if I had to get you medical attention…"

"That must have been horrible," Anna mused, dipping her head a little. "What did you do?"

"I called someone who could answer my questions."

"Please, please tell me you didn't tell my parents about this?" Anna pleaded, looking aghast.

Elsa smiled. "I figured you'd rather not have them know about this. So I used your phone to call Hans. He told me to just let you sleep in a dark room and try to get your temperature down a little."

"How long was I out?"

"It's almost dinner time now, so almost three hours."

"I see… You know what really helps a vampire after sun-drain? A good home-cooked meal!" Anna smiled impishly.

Elsa shook her head affectionately. "Why does that not surprise me at all?" she muttered as she got up and moved to the kitchen.

* * *

Honestly, this hadn't been the night out Elsa had had in mind. Sure, sounding to a small bar sounded appealing enough, just her and Anna, having a few drinks after sundown. After yesterday's debacle, she figured they could both use a little bit of down-time.

When she had thought that, she had not imagined sitting at a bar, nursing her drink, while Anna was focused on the screen hanging behind the bartender – her attention wholly consumed by the sports game that was going on. Really, she might as well have gone out into town on her own, and Anna would probably not notice her absence until the game were over.

Still, Elsa found that she didn't _really_ mind. Anna seemed to be having a good time, and since she'd consider it time spent together – even if Elsa didn't really think of it as such – it would alleviate Anna's guilt about not being able to go out into the sun like humans.

She smelled the guy that sat next to her before she could even see him. The stench of beer clung around him so heavily, it almost made Elsa gag.

"It's a crime for such a pretty young thing like you to sit here all alone. How about you join me and my mates at our table. We'll make sure you won't be lacking anything."

Elsa was considering her response – there were many different ways to say 'no' after all – when Anna got up from her stool and stood in between them.

"I'd ask you _kindly_ to refrain from flirting with _my_ girlfriend," she said, her voice calm, and yet containing a certain iciness.

"She doesn't _look_ like your girlfriend. You don't seem to treat her as such. So, what do you say, blondie? Come join us?"

"I don't need you to tell me how to treat my girlfriend," Anna responded darkly, aggression clear in her voice and posture.

"Gee, I didn't know you'd get mad."

Elsa snorted softly. "Trust me, you wouldn't like to see her if she's mad," she smiled. "Regardless, I think I'll be declining your generous invitation in favor of my girlfriend's company."

As the man turned around and walked back to his table, Anna retook her position at the bar, frantically clasping onto Elsa's hand, as if she were afraid the blonde might reconsider. While she still focused on the game playing on the television, she made sure to regularly talk to Elsa – generally not more than a few sentences, but at least she was trying, Elsa figured.

It was rather adorable how Anna simply refused to let go of Elsa's hand throughout the night, but after an hour or so, it became a little bothersome.

"Anna, could you let go of my hand for a moment, I really need to…"

"To what?"

"You know, use the ladies' room?"

"Oh, right! Let's go then!"

To her surprise, Anna jumped off her stool and started dragging Elsa toward the bathrooms. "Anna, I can go on my own!"

"I'm not letting you out of my sight!" Anna responded forcefully. "What if another sleaze comes and bothers you when I'm not around?"

Inside the bathroom, it was quiet. Most of the bar's patrons were male, so the women's restrooms weren't frequented much. Elsa pushed the door of one of the stalls open, stepping inside and moving to close the door. Only to find Anna's hand still clinging to her own.

"Anna-"

"No."

"I need you to-"

"I said no."

"But-"

"No buts."

"Anna! I can't close this door if you don't let go of my hand."

Anna smiled mischievously.

"Oh no. No, no. You're not getting in here while I pee. You'll have to wait outside."

"But we could have so much more fun _inside together_," Anna smiled, her eyes twinkling. As she blinked, Elsa noticed the change in colour.

"Anna, we're not going to have sex in a public bathroom."

"Oh? Aren't we?" Anna asked coyly, slowly moving forwards. The tell-tale click of Anna's fangs were clearly audible as she moved closer. "Are you absolutely sure about that?"

When, ten minutes later, Elsa finally left the bathroom and returned to her seat at the bar, Anna seemed entirely too pleased with herself. As she took a sip from her drink, she realized that she had never gotten round to doing what she went to the bathroom for in the first place.

But that was alright.


	5. Chapter 5

**I told myself I wouldn't do this anymore, but here it is: Be warned, there be blood ahead!**

* * *

It was about a week after their night out that Elsa started noticing that something wasn't right. With every passing day, Anna seemed to become less energetic, and although she tried to hide it well, the increasing amount of mood swings were a clear indicator that something was up.

Elsa had always been big on talking about problems, but she had learned that if there was really something bothering Anna, the redheaded vampire would not come to her on her own. After all, she seemed to think that she had to solve all of the world's problems on her own, without ever asking anyone for help.

"Anna, could you sit down for a moment?" Elsa asked, smiling as Anna lowered herself onto the couch. Oddly enough, she did not immediately snuggle into Elsa's side like she usually would. Upon closer inspection, she also noticed the remarkably anxious expression.

"What's wrong, Anna? You look like you've seen a ghost…"

"You're going to break up with me, aren't you?" Anna replied in the saddest voice Elsa had ever heard from her.

"What?! No, of course not! What on earth made you think that?"

"Well…" Anna started, "I figured that by now you'd have figured out that dating a vampire isn't as glamorous as it sounds, and that I'm just really boring, and my moods haven't been that great the past few days, so I figured you'd kick me out."

"Anna, I'm not kicking you out," Elsa half-laughed. "And you're as far from boring as anyone's ever been, trust me."

That seemed to lift Anna's spirits, if only a little. "Okay, if you say so… But then what _did_ you want to talk about?"

Elsa shrugged. "Something is wrong with you, or bothering you, and I'd like to know what it is," she replied, pulling Anna into her side so they could snuggle.

"What makes you think something is wrong with me?"

"You're moody and tired, and every morning you look pale as a vampire."

"I _am_ a vampire, Elsa. Being pale is in the job description."

"Ha, ha, Anna. Very funny."

"I know. I try my best."

"So…?"

"Nothing's wrong with me, Elsa," Anna said with a sigh.

There was a long silence in which neither of them said anything, and only the ticking of the clock could be heard. After some fifteen minutes, Elsa finally spoke up.

"You're getting hungry, aren't you?"

"Yeah," Anna replied with a deep sigh. "Nothing to worry about, though…"

"When did it start?"

"I got the feeling a few days ago. It's been getting a little worse over time, of course, but it's nothing I can't handle."

"Anna…" Elsa said, the warning tone clear in her voice.

"No, really! I'm fine. You've seen that I can go without feeding for _at least_ a month."

"Anna, you were a _wreck_ when you didn't feed for a month. You'd not have lasted another week! I'd rather not let it get that bad again."

"Your period's not due for a while yet," Anna shrugged. "I'll be fine. Promise."

"You should feed from me," Elsa said, her tone completely neutral.

"Didn't you listen? I just told you that your period-"

"You know what I meant," Elsa interrupted. "You should bite me."

"No-"

"Anna! You can't live like this-"

"Elsa, I'm not going to-"

"You need to feed!"

"I said NO!" Anna bellowed, jumping up from the couch and looking down at Elsa with blood-red eyes.

Elsa raised her hands in surrender, turning her head sideways for a moment. Anna seemed to realize what had happened, rapidly blinking several times, until her eyes were back to their usual blue colour.

"I'm sorry Elsa. I didn't mean to let my temper get out of hand."

"It's alright. I should apologize. Shouldn't have pressed the issue like that… We'll find another solution."

"I'll just have to wait it out, Elsa. There's nothing to do about it."

"You really don't want to bite me?"

"I really don't," Anna confirmed.

Elsa took a deep breath. "Okay. Then I won't force you. In the books I read it said that you can wipe people's memories… is that true?"

Anna seemed mostly confused. "Yeah, but how does that-"

"Belle, a friend of mine, is on her period now. You can… feed from her… if you want," Elsa muttered, looking as if it pained her to speak the words, let alone _think_ about what she just said.

A rumbling sound from Anna's throat made it clear that she did not like the suggestion one little bit. "Elsa, that's an even _worse_ solution than biting you. Not only would I be having oral sex with another woman, and thus cheating on you… I'd also be feeding off someone other than my girlfriend, who is my thrall. I don't know which is worse… Personally, I'd say the cheating, but in vampire culture, people would probably be more shocked by the off-feeding."

"Off-feeding?"

"Feeding from someone who's not your usual feeding partner. It's… severely frowned upon."

"Okay, so no feeding off of my friends, then," Elsa said with a relieved sigh and a troubled frown.

"You sound happy about that," Anna smirked.

"Well, yeah. I was willing to allow it for your health, but that doesn't mean I _liked_ it… So, what about hunting down an animal?"

Anna made several gagging sounds. "No way I'm drinking animal blood ever again. One of my brothers convinced me to feed off a deer, once. It was _disgusting_. I couldn't look at blood the same way for months, and even the smell of human blood made my hairs stand on end."

"Okay, so no off-feeding or feeding off animals… I could probably-"

"No."

"You didn't even know what I was going to suggest!" Elsa said indignantly.

"Yes I do," Anna smiled. "You were going to suggest wounding yourself – probably cutting – so that I'd have access to your blood. I can't let you maim yourself like that, though."

Elsa slumped back into the couch. "Okay, okay. So what do you suggest?"

"I suggest what I suggested from the start. You have some faith in me, and I'll feed again when your period starts. I'll be fine, pinky-promise!"

Elsa seemed to think on that for a moment. "Fine, I'll trust you on this. But you have to promise me that you'll let me know if you're _not_ fine!"

"Will do!" Anna chirped happily, jumping up from the couch and heading towards the kitchen.

There was no need to tell Elsa about the sudden bout of dizziness that she experienced from getting up that fast. It would only serve to worry her, and no one wanted to worry their loved ones. Not even if there really _was_ plenty of reason to be worried.

* * *

Elsa had been on the phone for _hours_ now, Anna thought, still laying in the bed, enjoying her lazy Friday morning. Normally, the blonde would be short and sometimes even snappy when she was on the phone, so this must really have been a very special conversation.

Too bad Elsa had taken the phone out of the bedroom in hopes of not waking Anna up. A vain effort, considering Elsa's rather loud ringtone. Yet Anna was too lazy to get out of bed and listen in to at least one side of the conversation.

"…Okay, yeah, I'll ask… yeah, I'll ask. Bye!"

Elsa shuffled back into the bedroom, quietly as possible, though she ceased that effort when she noticed Anna was wide awake. "Sorry for waking you up like that," she smiled apologetically.

"You didn't. The bastard on the other side of the phone did," Anna smirked in return, stretching languidly.

"That bastard was my father," Elsa replied dryly, though with enough humour in her voice not to worry too much.

"Your dad? Ohmy… I'm so sorry! What did he want?"

"He wanted me… well, us… to visit."

"Awesome! Let's go tonight?"

"Anna-"

"I'll need something nice to wear-"

"Anna!"

"And my hair, should I do the twin braids? No, I need something more adult-ish for meeting your parents, maybe I should-"

"Anna!"

"What?"

"My parents live in Europe."

"Oh…" Anna replied dumbly. "Well, that's… inconvenient. Tomorrow, then?"

Elsa cocked her head to the side.

"What? We can totally catch a plane tomorrow! I'm a pro at packing bags."

"You just want to fly out to Europe like that, without any preparation?"

"Meh, I should probably call my parents and let them know, that's all, really."

"What about the sun?"

"As long as I have a seat at the aisle, and not the window, I'll be fine."

"You don't even know where we're going. For all you know, you might be shriveling up underneath the Spanish sun, Anna!" Elsa said with exasperation.

"Oh, Elsa," Anna smiled. "You really don't look that Spanish… And even if you were, it'd be totally worth it for meeting your parents. I'd just have to wear a large hat and stick to the shade when possible. But totally worth it."

"You're lucky they live in Norway…"

"Lucky indeed. So, shall I book the tickets?"

"One more thing…"

Anna smiled again. "Let me guess, you didn't tell them that your new boyfriend is a girlfriend?"

* * *

Whatever Elsa had been expecting, it had not been this. To be sitting in an airplane towards Norway mere _hours_ after she had called her parents to ask when they could come over was somewhat unexpected. Anna's unfettered eagerness to meet her parents even more so.

Oddly enough, the redhead had been truthful enough about her ability to stuff as much as possible into a suitcase and still be able to close it. Within the hour, she'd managed to pack two full bags with everything they could _possibly_ need for their one-week-trip. Judging from the gear in their bags, Anna had counted on blizzards, heat waves, sandstorms and floods.

When she'd asked the girl about that, Anna had replied that 'one can never be careful enough.' Elsa smiled as she looked at Anna, who had rested her head on her shoulder and was adorably drooling all over her shoulder. Elsa figured it had to be real love if she didn't even mind being drooled on.

Anna jerked awake when the plane started its descent towards the airfield where they'd be landing, claiming to have been awake the whole trip. Upon noticing the patch of drool on the shoulder of Elsa's shirt, she retracted the statement with a ferocious blush.

Half an hour later, they were walking towards the masses of people waiting for the passengers on their ship. Anna hung back a little, as they'd discussed, so that Elsa could prepare her parents for the 'big news' first.

"Elsa, over here!"

She walked over to her parents, quickly giving the both of them a short hug and moving out of the way of the moving passengers. "Mom, dad! It's been so long!"

"Only a few months, dear," her mother replied, looking around with searching eyes.

"I thought you'd be bringing…?"

"I did," Elsa said, only hesitating a little. "But err… it's a she. Turns out I'm not as straight as I thought," she muttered sheepishly.

Her parents looked at her oddly for a moment, before the both of them enveloped her in a tight, warm and long embrace, muttering assurances of their continued love for their daughter.

"Now, tell me, Elsa," her father said as they moved apart again. "It wouldn't happen to be the pretty thing with red hair that's watching us from over there, now would it?"

Elsa turned her head in the direction her father was pointing, finding Anna sitting on a bench and subtly waving at her. "Yeah, that's Anna."

"Well done, my girl. Well done," her father laughed as Anna got up from her perch and walked towards them.

They immediately got the introductions out of the way, after which they headed towards home.

* * *

"Elsa, you see that guy? The one with the ridiculous purple hat?"

It was their third day in Norway, and Elsa could not be happier. Her parents and Anna got along swimmingly, and it had been really good to see them again. Well, that was not entirely true. Elsa _could_ be happier.

Over time, Anna had started becoming paler and paler, her movements growing more sluggish and the bags under her eyes had actually become visible enough for Elsa's parents to worry about Anna's health. The redhead kept insisting she'd sleep it off – but Elsa knew better.

"Yeah, what about him?"

"He's following us," Anna said grimly, checking out a stand of sunglasses in front of a shop.

"Anna, he's probably just-"

"A vampire. He's a vampire, Elsa."

"How do you know?" Elsa asked, her brows knitting in confusion.

"I can smell," Anna said as if it were the most obvious thing.

"Should we worry?"

"Probably not. I'm guessing he's one of the locals, afraid we're moving in on his feeding ground or territory or something like that."

Without warning, Anna turned around, waving at the man and beckoning him over.

"Hi! I couldn't help but notice you following us. I'm Anna Borges, of House Borges, obviously. This is my girlfriend Elsa."

The man nodded and shook their hands, looking a little less grumpy than he had before. "Pleasure to meet you, Ms. Borges. I'm Anatoli. I was asked to make sure you don't… step out of line."

"No worries. Elsa's also my thrall, so there's no need for me to feed on any of the people here," Anna smiled good-naturedly.

"Very good. Very good. But, if I might be so rude…. You do not look like you've fed recently…"

"That's between me and Elsa, and nothing for you to worry about," Anna replied bluntly, her good mood suddenly gone. "Now, I'd like you and your family to leave us alone, please."

"We hear strange things about you, Miss Anna Borges," the vampire muttered, not at all impressed by Anna. "It is said you do not feed… normally."

"Again, none of your business. I'll be out of your hair in a few days. No feeding, I promise."

"Very well," the vampire nodded. "I shall leave you be now. Don't do anything foolish. We _will_ find out…"

* * *

"Elsa, I think I'm going to bed," Anna sighed sadly. "I'm really tired."

"Do you need a physician, child?" Elsa's mother asked for the umpteenth time.

"No, thanks ma'am, I'll be fine. It's probably just a common cold. Nothing to be worried about."

No one at the table seemed convinced, but they nodded nonetheless. Elsa made to get up, but Anna placed a hand on her shoulder. "No need. I know the way to the bedroom. Just have some fun with your parents Elsa, while you still can. I'll be in bed whenever you get tired."

"Are you sure?"

"Definitely."

Anna shuffled out of the room, and they heard her ascending the stairs. "Elsa, love, are you sure she's alright?"

Elsa nodded. "Anna's immune system isn't that great… She had a cold when we came here, and I'm guessing the traveling made it worse. She'll be fine, though."

"Well, if you say so…" her father replied doubtfully.

Elsa continued playing cards with her parents for a few more hours, and it was far past midnight when she finally climbed the stairs to her old bedroom – now guestroom – where Anna was probably sleeping soundly.

The room was pitch-black when Elsa opened the door. She knew the room well enough not to have to turn the lights on, shuffling towards the bed, holding her hands in front of her to avoid bumping into furniture. Before she was halfway through the room, though, her foot hit something solid, causing her to trip and fall to the floor.

She listened for a while, but there was no sound throughout the house – her parents had probably dropped down on their bed and immediately fallen asleep. Turning around and dislodging her foot from the object it had become stuck under, Elsa found – to her great horror, Anna laying on the floor.

She hurried to turn the small light on the side-table on, immediately turning her attention back to Anna – who was staring right at her. For the briefest of moments, Elsa feared that Anna was dead, staring at her with unseeing eyes. But then an apologetic little smile formed on Anna's face.

"Woops. Sorry 'bout that…"

"Anna, what the _hell_ are you doing on the ground?" Elsa hissed furiously.

"I fell," Anna rasped. Elsa was about to ask why she hadn't gotten up, then. The question stopped short, though, when she noticed Anna's condition. Her skin was paler than she'd seen it before – paler even than the time she'd found Anna on her doorstep – and her eyes were a blueish purple.

"Couldn't get up," Anna continued, her voice feeble and weak.

Elsa lifted Anna with considerable effort, dragging her towards the bed and gently laying her down. "Why didn't you call me?" she hissed, still keeping her voice down.

"Didn't want to worry you. I'll be fine if you give me a minute. Besides, even if I had wanted, I wouldn't have had enough strength to raise my voice…"

"Anna, how long were you laying there?"

"Euh… Pretty much since I came up here."

"That was _hours_ ago, Anna!" Elsa hissed, growing angrier with every answer Anna offered.

"Yeah… I euh… I figured as much. I might have overestimated my condition… Or underestimated my problem…"

Elsa felt the anger seeping out of her as she sighed and rubbed her eyes, gently undressing Anna. She figured this was more or less what people at a hospital – or morgue – did to those that couldn't dress and undress themselves anymore.

Once they were both down to their underwear, Elsa set Anna up against the headboard. "How are you feeling?"

"Peachy. Thanks, Els. You're the best."

"Don't thank me yet…" Elsa muttered ominously, heading off towards the bathroom and returning with a towel.

"What are you going to do with that?"

"I'm not going to do anything."

"Then why the towel? Did I pee myself without noticing?"

Elsa grimaced for a moment. "No. No you did not. But I'd rather not explain to mom and dad why the entire bed is bloody."

"Bloody? Oh, no. Elsa, no. We're not having this discussion again!"

Elsa shook her head, staring Anna down. "You're right, we're not. You're going to bite me, and get some much needed feeding done."

"And if I don't?"

Elsa closed her eyes as she took a deep breath. "Then we're breaking up, and you're going to feed off someone else. I can't let you keep this up, Anna. It's not fair to you, and it's not fair to me, either."

"To you?"

"Do you think I enjoy seeing you like this?"

"Well, I imagine not…"

"Right, so where will you bite?"

For a moment, Elsa feared that Anna would keep up her resistance, but apparently, even the stubborn redhead saw that there was no other choice.

"Someplace covered by your clothes would be best. Prevent people asking about the wounds."

"Will they be visible?"

"Barely," Anna smiled. "Normally, I'd suggest your throat or shoulder, but that'd be visible, so perhaps the inside of your thigh?"

Elsa nodded, laying down next to Anna as the redhead scooted to the side. "Will it hurt?"

"Euh, yes. Probably. I've never been bitten by a vampire, but I imagine so?"

"Well then, let's do this, shall we?" Elsa smiled weakly.

"Els… Are you sure about this?"

"I don't want to lose you, Anna… I'm sure. Take whatever you need."

Anna's head disappeared towards Elsa's legs, and she could feel Anna's hot breath washing over the inside of her thigh. Moments later, she heard the tell-tale click of Anna's fangs. The sound was followed by a soft and warm tongue running over her sensitive flesh, starting near her knee and slowly travelling upwards towards her crotch.

Anna ended the trail with a little kiss on Elsa's panties that left her panting and moaning softly. Then, without warning, the blonde felt a sharp, stinging sensation on her thigh. She emitted a short, soft yelp, hushing herself with one of her hands and grabbing the sheets with the other.

She felt Anna's mouth on her leg, softly suckling the freshly inflicted wound. The pain lasted a little longer, but it wasn't anything she couldn't handle, and she was surprised to feel it fading away altogether after a while.

She lifted herself up on her elbows, allowing her to see Anna's mouth clamped on her leg. The redhead seemed to have lost all awareness of her surroundings, keeping her eyes closed and murmuring softly as she drank.

Elsa hadn't expected the sudden rush of feelings – affection, love, tenderness, and, oddly enough, arousal – at the sight, but she couldn't help the fact that she was actually sort of, maybe, starting to enjoy this. At first, she'd been hard pressed why anyone would volunteer to be a thrall to any vampire, no matter how good looking.

The explanations of feedings and vampire-thrall relations she'd found in the books Anna's father had lent her had done very little to clarify the process. Yet, while the feeling of her blood being sucked out of her leg was novel and foreign and strange, it was not at all unpleasant, and Elsa found that she did not at all object to repeating this every now and then.

Before she knew what she was doing, she was tangling her hand in Anna's hair. As soon as she did, though, Anna shot up as if she had gotten a shock, immediately retracting her fangs. "Elsa, I'm so sorry!"

"What? Whatever for?"

"I kinda lost myself in the feeding… Did I hurt you? Did I take too much? I took too much, didn't I? I'm such an idiot, I'm so sorry!"

Elsa gently placed her hands on Anna's shoulders. "Shh now. You didn't hurt me, and you didn't take too much. I'm fine. _We're_ fine."

Anna looked at her as if she was about to call Elsa out on a lie, but apparently the honesty in her voice and face were enough to convince the vampire. "I… thanks."

"Do you need any more?"

"No… I'm good now…" Anna replied shyly.

"That's good. Then I'd like a kiss now," Elsa smirked.

"Yeah, sure. I'll just go and wash my face and mouth and-"

"I want a kiss _now_," Elsa repeated, her voice clearly authorative.

Anna still seemed to doubt, but moved forward nonetheless and placed a quick kiss on Elsa's lips.

"That's not a kiss," Elsa growled, holding Anna in place through the hand in her neck.

"Yes it was," Anna squealed.

"Mm, fair enough. But I'd like to make out with you now," Elsa growled, moving in for more.

* * *

Anna couldn't possibly fathom what was happening. She'd just fed on Elsa. She had actually _bitten_ Elsa. And yet Elsa wasn't scared, or disgusted or even uncomfortable. No, she was demanding a kiss, even though the lower half on Anna's face was still covered in blood.

"… But I'd like to make out with you now," came Elsa's growling voice.

For a moment, Anna wondered if she'd accidentally injected some kind of venom through her fangs during the feeding process. All those thoughts, however, left her mind when she felt Elsa's hot lips on her own, swiftly prying her mouth open and pushing her tongue inside Anna's mouth.

The metallic taste of the blood, combined with the feeling of Elsa's tongue wrestling with her own and the feelings of arousal that always caused spurred Anna's fangs to pop out again.

When it happened, she heard Elsa's hiss, and felt the little wound on her tongue, tasted the new blood, few as it was, and yet Elsa never relented, instead reversing their positions and placing herself on top of Anna's body.

The next thing she knew, their mouths weren't connected anymore, and Anna found herself no longer wearing underwear. Elsa had apparently cleaned her leg, because there wasn't any blood there anymore, and the wound wasn't bleeding anymore either. The sight of Elsa unclasping her bra and taking off her panties, mouth covered in blood and eyes clearly filled with lust, almost made Anna combust.

She moved up to kiss her again, but was swiftly pushed down when Elsa seemed to have the exact same intentions. The kiss seemed to go on for an eternity, yet it was never enough for Anna. When Elsa's mouth left hers again, she whined a little, but Elsa shushed her and moved around a little.

Soon enough, everything was well again. Elsa had placed her knees on either side of Anna, facing away from her and bending forwards, allowing Anna full access to her core – something the redhead eagerly made use of. The taste of Elsa, combined with the taste of Elsa's blood, was almost enough for Anna to reach an instant orgasm.

Thus, when Elsa's tongue found Anna's centre in much the same way, it took only a few minutes for Anna to reach her climax. She couldn't be certain, but judging by the sounds Elsa was making, the same had taken place for her.

Sure enough, after a few minutes, Elsa clambered off the bed, walked into the bathroom and returned a few moments later, carrying a wet towel. She took great care to properly clean Anna's face, as well as any other area that had gotten bloodied in the past few minutes, before doing the same to herself, throwing the towel in the corner and crawling back into bed.

As Elsa snuggled into her side, Anna felt her head swimming with sleep and questions. "Elsa? Should we… talk about what just happened?"

Elsa murmured softly. "We're fine, Anna. We can talk tomorrow. Let's sleep, now. It's late…"

Anna looked at the clock on her nightstand, which told her it was 4a.m.

"Actually, I think it's early, but fair enough," she smiled. "We'll talk tomorrow, then."

For a long time, the only reply that came was a long yawn. Just before she fell asleep, though, Anna heard Elsa's voice again, very weakly.

"Thanks for tonight, Anna. G'night."


	6. Chapter 6

**Alright. I owe you people some serious apologies. This chapter is way, way, way overdue, and there's really nothing I can say to change that. I could go on about how busy I've been with work, or just life in general, but that would only be a partial truth. I have been terribly busy, but then again, I always am, so that's hardly an excuse. No, the truth is rather simple: Writing has been getting more and more difficult for me as of late.**

**I'm used to words flowing from my fingers like water from a tap. I always have plenty of ideas, and usually know exactly how I want to write everything. The past few weeks, though, my writing has become slow, sluggish, and clumsy. And it annoys me to no end. Which really doesn't help the entire process along either. **

**Rest assured, though, that I still stand by my promise: I'll never abandon a story once I've started publishing it. Not ever. My updating might be slow and sporadic, but if I start something, I see it through to the end. On that, you have my word. And yes, I totally deserved all the friendly and not-so-friendly messages telling me to hurry the fudge up. Just know that I'm doing what I can, and that's really all I can do.**

* * *

She had no idea what it was, but something was pulling her from her sleep. That _something_ became frustratingly and adorably clear when she opened her eyes with a soft groan, only to come face to face with the soft blue eyes of her girlfriend, hovering mere inches from her own, their noses close enough to brush up against each other as Anna shifted her head slightly.

The only reason Elsa didn't yelp in shock was the fact that she was slowly getting used to Anna's antics. As much as that was possible, at least.

"Good morning," Anna said, her voice soft as a whisper. "Sleep well?"

Elsa murmured in the affirmative, languidly stretching in an attempt to chase the sleep out of her body, as well as trying to figure out the strange undertone in Anna's question.

"I slept like a baby," the blonde eventually sighed contentedly. "How about you?"

Anna, still hovering above her, smiled down at her. "Me too," she eventually responded, still seeming somewhat hesitant as she gently bit down on her lower lip. "Should we… er… talk? You know, before we go downstairs?"

"Talk?" Elsa croaked out, sleep still fogging her brain.

"Yeah, _talk_," Anna responded with a nervous laugh, making sure to emphasize the verb extra strongly.

And that seemed to work as the haze in Elsa's mind cleared somewhat and the events of last night returned to the forefront of her brain. "Oh, right, talk. Er, yeah, I suppose we could? Or we could just go and have breakfast first, go into town later today and talk then? Over coffee or something – don't worry, it's going to be a rainy day."

Anna's teeth clamped down on her bottom lip more fervently. On the one hand, she really wanted to get this out of the way. On the other hand, it was really hard to resist the opportunity to put the talk off for a little while longer. Who knew what was going to be said, anyway?

"Yeah, okay. We can… er… do it later, I think?"

Elsa murmured again, pretending not to notice the awkwardness between them this morning. "If we are to have breakfast, you'll have to get off of me," she said with a teasing lilt in her voice.

"Oh? But I'm just so comfortable on top of you," Anna replied, equally teasing, before getting off of her nonetheless. It took the both of them only a few minutes to get dressed – nothing fancy, since they had no big plans for today – and move downstairs, where they found Elsa's parents already sitting at the breakfast table, both poring over the newspaper.

"Good morning!" Anna chirped happily, causing two surprised heads to snap up and turn towards them.

"Well, you are looking much better," Elsa's mother smiled, her eyebrows nearly reaching into her hairline.

"Yes. It seems sleep really was all that I needed. It has been a while since I slept as soundly as last night," Anna replied without missing a beat.

Elsa's parents didn't appear to be entirely convinced by Anna's upbeat response, but there was no denying that the girl was feeling much better, and Elsa had no trouble recognizing the resignation in their faces. They'd just accept things as they were, being happy for Anna's well-being, and not ask any more questions.

For which Elsa was really, really grateful.

"So, girls, any plans today?"

"We thought we might go into town and have lunch somewhere, maybe," Elsa muttered as she sat down and drew a plate with sandwiches towards herself. "Other than that, not really."

"You know the weather won't be all that great, right?" her father asked from behind his newspaper.

"According to the forecasts, there will be rain, yeah," Elsa nodded. "But we don't really mind."

Elsa's parents both nodded. Elsa knew them well enough to know that they still had questions – presumably about Anna, but had decided, or agreed, not to ask those now. Frankly, that was something the blonde was grateful for. She really didn't have the appropriate answers ready at the moment.

"Will you be back in time to help me with dinner?" her mother asked kindly, making sure not to pressure Elsa into changing their plans at her behest.

"I think we will, yes. If we leave right after breakfast, we should be back sometime after lunch. Does that work for you, Anna?"

The redhead looked up from the breakfast table, her cheeks bulging with the food she had been shoveling into her mouth mere seconds ago. "Mmblgh!"

Elsa smiled slightly. "Good. Anna agrees," she said, turning her attention to her breakfast as well.

"Wait, you understood that?" her parents asked in unison.

Taking a bite from the sandwich in front of her, Elsa merely nodded in response.

* * *

As it turns out, the weather was not nearly as dreadful as the forecasts had led them to believe. It wasn't particularly sunny, which, in their book, was a good thing. Nevertheless, it also wasn't raining when they strolled through the quaint streets, lined with little shops and boutiques that one wouldn't find anywhere else in the world – occasionally interspersed with a Starbucks.

Anna made a valiant effort to visit every shop her eyes landed on, but after a while, even she had to admit that her endeavor was an impossible one. When, after nearly an hour of non-stop shopping, Elsa suggested a coffee-break, Anna eagerly agreed to that idea – provided they'd visit one of the cute little shops, and not the big, hideous Starbucks.

Elsa, of course, wouldn't have it any other way.

They ended up at Oaken's Trading Post, a small café in between a clothing and a shoe store, where they got their sandwiches and hot chocolates from the largest man Elsa had ever seen. He had to be a descendant from giants, she figured, looking up at him as he placed their orders on their table with a gentleness that one would not expect from someone of his size and stature.

"You two ladies enjoy, ya?" he asked with a gentle smile, sending them a wink before walking off to grant them some privacy.

The atmosphere between them shifted as soon as they were left alone, a tense silence suddenly filling the air as both women considered the conversation ahead of them: what needed to be said and asked, what possible directions the conversation might go, and how to even start.

"So," Elsa eventually started with a sigh. "We have some talking to do…"

Anna sucked in a deep breath, gently blowing her hot chocolate as she nodded. "That we do, yes."

Elsa chuckled wryly. "Frankly, I haven't the foggiest idea where to start…"

Anna grinned in response. "Let's start with: Did the scary vampire traumatize you last night?"

Despite the airy tone on the mischievous grin Anna was sporting, Elsa noticed the underlying tension in the question, most notable in Anna's eyes, which expressed her anxiety and insecurity.

"I told you before, Anna. You couldn't be a scary vampire if you tried. Not to me."

"So, we're good, then?"

"I think we need a little more talking than that, Anna," Elsa chastised gently.

"No, I know! I meant, we're not breaking up, or taking a break, or something like that?"

"Wait, what? Why would we do _that_?" Elsa asked, eyes widening slightly.

"Well, last night must have been pretty strange for you, so I thought-"

Elsa didn't hesitate to interrupt her girlfriend. "Yes, it was strange. But it was definitely a good strange!"

"Good strange? Are you… Are you saying you enjoyed it?"

All Elsa's confidence seemed to seep out of her as a blush took over her visage. "Well… like I said, it was strange, but I didn't really… you know… _dis_like it?"

Anna cocked her head sideways. "You didn't really dislike it? What does that mean?"

Elsa shrugged sheepishly, taking a sip from her drink. "Well, we did it because we needed to… for your health. And I guess I'm trying to say I wouldn't mind doing it again? Sometime? And not necessarily for your health, I mean… Of course that plays a large part, but it was sort of… intimate and arousing, if that isn't too weird? Ugh, what am I saying, of course that's too weird. Never mind, just forget-"

"Whoa, Elsa, easy. You're not too weird!" Anna immediately interjected. "There are lots of people who think like that… which is basically the entire mindset behind someone becoming a vampire's thrall. I just thought… I mean, doesn't it hurt?"

Elsa's brow furrowed as she contemplated the question. "I suppose it stung a little. But only at first, really. As soon as you started feeding, the pain faded away. I started feeling all hot and tingly and I liked the idea that you trusted me enough to share such a moment with me… and that you actually _needed_ me," Elsa finished softly.

There was a long, lingering silence between the two of them. Eventually, Anna broke the silence with a mischievous look in her eyes. "Is that why you were so… ahem, needy, after the feeding?"

Elsa's blush seemed to increase by a tenfold. "I wasn't _needy_," she replied, her voice higher in pitch than usual. "Just really, really aroused!"

"Uh-huh," Anna said smugly, crossing her arms as she leaned back in her seat.

"It's not as if you were complaining last night," Elsa shot back, her eyes narrowing suspiciously.

"Oh no. And trust me, I'm not complaining right now. It was just a little odd, and very… well, not _you_, I suppose. You always turned your head when I was feeding, so I got the impression you weren't too big on the whole blood thing."

"Apparently," Elsa started slowly, looking out of the window in an attempt to focus her thoughts, "it doesn't bother me. I just don't like the idea of where the blood comes from when I'm on my period. It stinks, and is really gross."

Anna's smirk grew a little wider. "Maybe you should give it a chance. I promise you, it really tastes quite good. Maybe I even like it better than-"

"Alright, alright, that's enough out of you," Elsa laughed, throwing a bunched up napkin at the redhead. "I don't want to hear you finishing that sentence."

"Fair enough," Anna shrugged. "I was just teasing you. I'm actually really glad you didn't mind the blood. For a moment, I thought I might have accidentally used some of my vampire powers on you to make… like that."

Elsa seemed to consider the remark for a moment, before shaking her head decidedly. "No, I think it was definitely all me. If it was your vampire-hypnosis thing, I'd know by now, right?"

Anna nodded. "Strong vampires could make it so that you'd never find out. But the whole hypnosis thing was never my strongest point, and I'm not all that powerful a vampire by anyone's standards. I suppose that's the price I pay for not feeding on a daily basis."

To Anna's amazement, Elsa grew a mischievous smirk of her own. "Then, maybe, you should start feeding more regularly."

For the first time in as long as she could remember, Anna was stunned into silence.

* * *

Back at the humble home of Elsa's parents, Anna somehow found herself in the backyard with Elsa's father, whom she had been forced to just call 'John' instead of 'Mr. Arendelle,' swinging an axe to cut the firewood down to a decent size.

The axe was light in her hands, as if she were merely swinging a ballpoint through the air. She had to consciously make sure she wouldn't bring it down with so much force that it would cause suspicions about her otherworldly strength.

"So, Anna," Elsa's father started, cutting smaller pieces to be used as kindling. "You seem to be feeling a lot better."

"Yes, sir," Anna replied happily, bringing her axe around for another overhead swing. "A good night's rest can do wonders."

"Don't insult my intelligence with that nonsense, girl," John said, although not sounding angry at all.

Anna's swing stopped in mid-air, her eyes growing a little wider. "What do you mean?"

The man looked up at her, sitting on the stump of a tree and idly playing with the knife in his hands. "Something's wrong with you, right?"

Anna would have denied it, but the instinctive slumping of her shoulders had already given her away, and she could see that the man in front of her had noticed. He really was a lot like Elsa, in that very little slipped by him.

"I wouldn't necessarily use the word _wrong_," Anna started slowly, hesitating on how to continue. "But yes, there is something."

The man nodded slowly, his expression not betraying any of his thoughts. "I won't ask what it is, since you don't seem too eager on sharing. I do want to know a few things, though."

Anna nodded as well. "I suppose that's only fair."

"Is it an illness?"

"Not in the strict sense of the word, no."

"Is it going to affect Elsa's health?"

Anna shook her head vigorously. "Absolutely not. It's not contagious or anything."

"Elsa knows?"

"Yeah, she does," Anna responded, this time with a firm nod.

John nodded as well, seeming to think about his next question. "Are you going to be alright?"

That question took Anna by surprise, especially because of the care and tenderness and worry laced in his voice. "I think so, yes. As long as I have Elsa, nothing bad will happen."

There was a long silence, both of them returning to their work. Then, out of the blue, he asked his final question. "Will you ever tell me – us – what is really going on?"

Anna's gaze wandered towards the house, where she could see Elsa and her mother doing the dishes through the kitchen window. Anna knew it would be easy to placate the parents with a little white lie, but decided that honesty was always – usually – the best policy. "I'm not entirely sure. It mostly depends on how Elsa wants to deal with the situation."

John also looked towards the kitchen window. "You care a lot for her, don't you?"

Anna nodded, sighing wordlessly. Apparently, that was enough for Elsa's father, who gently yet firmly patted her shoulder. "Good, then we have that in common. Now get to swinging that axe – the firewood isn't going to cut itself."

* * *

Elsa thought it was cute, Anna and her father doing the heavy outdoors work while she and her mother were clearing away the dishes. It also didn't hurt that the kitchen window allowed her to take in every single move Anna performed, and despite the distance, Elsa could see the tension in Anna's arms as she lifted the axe and brought it down upon the poor block of wood.

"Oh my, you've got it bad, haven't you, dear?" her mother laughed from besides her, setting some glasses away in the cupboard.

Elsa considered denying it, but she knew that she wasn't nearly cunning enough to fool her mother. "Yeah, I really, really do," she muttered instead, a wistful smile forming on her lips.

"That's good to hear, love," her mother smiled back at her, taking the towel again and drying one of the plates Elsa had just cleaned. "She looks like a remarkable young lady. Though, truth be told, I can't help but worry about her… condition."

Elsa knew this moment would have come sooner or later, though she hadn't expected her mother to bring it up quite this soon. "There's nothing to worry about, mom," she said with a soft sigh.

"That's easy for you to say. Your daughter and her girlfriend aren't lying to you and keeping you in the dark. You can't blame your father and me for being worried out of our minds."

"We didn't lie," Elsa objected feebly.

Her mother merely cocked a single eyebrow – a move Elsa recognized easily, as she had seen herself do so in the mirror dozens of times. "Saying that one night of good sleep recovered her wasn't a lie?"

Elsa wavered slightly. "Maybe we should call it… an exaggeration?"

Her mother laughed, the sound managing to be both airy and strained. "If that's what you want to call it, that's what we'll call it. Really, though, can't you tell us a little more? Is it life-threatening? Is your health at risk? Is she getting treatment?"

Elsa smiled, relieved that her mother didn't seem angry or hurt, merely worried and curious. "It's not life-threatening, so don't worry about that. It's also not something I'll suffer from, and she's getting a treatment, of sorts. The situation is entirely under control, though. Anna was just too stubborn to… take her medication. Which is why she was ill."

Her mother nodded, seemingly ready to drop the subject. "Are you sure you can't tell us any more?"

Elsa shook her head, looking out of the window, and seeing that Anna and her father had stopped cutting the wood and were talking as well. Judging from the look on their faces, they were having much the same conversation. "It's not my place to tell you, mom. If Anna's ready to share, I'm sure she will."

Her mother also looked out of the window, a serene smile gracing her lips. "She's a remarkable girl. I just hope the two of you will be as happy as your father and I have been all these years. I only want the best for you – both of you – you know that, right?"

Elsa merely nodded, not trusting her voice as the tears started welling up behind her eyes.

* * *

Later that night, when they were both lying in bed, Elsa told Anna everything about their conversation, after Anna had told her about the conversation she'd had with Elsa's father.

"We can't tell them, can we?" the blonde asked, smiling as Anna snuggled up to her side.

"Not yet," Anna answered quietly. "We'd need to discuss it with my parents first. We actually need permission to tell humans about our existence, otherwise… well, let's just say things wouldn't really end well."

There was a silence, but Elsa felt that Anna wasn't done speaking yet.

"We can definitely tell them if I ever turn you into one of us, though. Your parents would automatically be allowed to know."

Elsa sucked in a sharp breath. "I thought you said that would never happen?"

She could feel Anna smiling against the crook of her neck. "I thought a lot of things, Elsa. As it turns out, not all of those were correct. Besides, father was right when he said that it was a decision we would need to make together. It wouldn't be fair any other way."

After that, the silence between them lasted for nearly half an hour. Elsa would have fallen asleep, had she not noticed the tension in Anna's muscles. She repeatedly felt Anna taking a deep breath, as if preparing to say something, only to let it out in a deep sigh shortly afterwards.

"What's on your mind?" she asked eventually.

Anna shrugged. "I was just thinking."

"About?"

"What you said, earlier…"

Elsa chuckled softly. "You will need to be a little more explicit, Anna. I have no idea what you're talking about."

"You know, at the café. You said something about… feeding more regularly. Did you- Did you mean that?"

Without hesitating, or even thinking, Elsa nodded. "Yes. If you want to feed more often, I'd certainly be willing to… accommodate you. You might have noticed, yesterday, that the whole feeding thing didn't exactly put me off…"

"Hm," Anna murmured sleepily. "I'll keep that in mind, then."


	7. Chapter 7

**This chapter turned out slightly longer than usual. Hope you folks enjoy, and if you do, I'd really be very happy to receive feedback/praise/comments/critique or whatever else you feel like sending my way. Cookies or pie are also welcome.**

* * *

Anna dropped both suitcases to the floor with a loud thud, dropping backwards and landing on the couch with an exaggerated groan. If Elsa didn't know any better, she would have thought there was a dying animal passing away on her furniture.

"It's so, so good to be home!" Anna wailed. "Don't get me wrong, I love your parents and they are awesome. But it's _so_ good to be home!"

Elsa chuckled. "Sorry to burst your bubble, but _I'm_ home. You are at your girlfriend's place, remember?"

Anna's head suddenly poked up from the couch's backrest. "You're right!" she suddenly exclaimed. "This isn't even my home!"

The blonde dragged the suitcases across the room, fondly shaking her head at her girlfriend's expression of fake shock.

"Is it too soon to start talking about me moving in here?" the redhead joked from the couch.

For a split-second, Elsa considered the possibilities. She could joke along, of course, or dismiss the question with a vague response or gesture. In the end, though, she decided that she would just answer the question genuinely.

"I don't know, Anna. Do you _want_ to move in here?"

Anna immediately jumped up from the couch, frantically waving her hands around. "Whoa, no! No, Elsa, I was _joking_."

Elsa smiled and nodded. "I know, Anna." There was a slight pause before she continued. "So does that mean you do not want to move in?" she added with a grin.

"Of course not!" Anna replied, rolling her eyes. "I'd _love_ to move in, but we've only been dating for, what, a month?"

Elsa shrugged. "As far as I'm concerned, you're already living here. And, well, let's face it. We both know you're never going back to living with your parents."

Anna looked at her sheepishly, like a little child whose naughty plans had been discovered before coming to fruition. "So, what are you trying to say?"

Elsa shrugged awkwardly. "I'm not sure… I guess I'm asking you to move in with me? Like, for real?"

Anna had crossed the room faster than Elsa's simple, human eyes could follow, sweeping her up in a frenzied bear-hug. "Oh my god, Elsa! Yes! Yes, I'll move in with you!" she squealed, happy as a child on Christmas Eve.

Elsa couldn't help but laugh as well. "I'm glad you're so enthusiastic, Anna. Now, can you put me down and let go of me, before you start crushing my ribs?"

Anna lowered her enough for her feet to connect with the ground again, loosening her grip slightly. "No, but I suppose I can stop squeezing you. A little. Like this?"

Elsa hummed contently. "Yes, this is fine."

Elsa supposed they probably looked ridiculous, standing in the middle of her living room, hugging each other for several minutes straight, before Anna let go of her, slouched back to the couch and dropped down again.

"And now, I'm just going to lay down here and do nothing for the rest of the day!" the redhead claimed huffily.

As Elsa left the room with the suitcases in tow, she called over her shoulder. "It's only noon, Anna!"

"Exactly!" the redhead called back.

Elsa spent a little over ten minutes unpacking their bags, throwing the laundry in the designated basket, lining their shoes up next to the closet and moving their toiletries to their usual spots, all the while thinking about what she'd just done.

She didn't regret it, really. Even though she felt that, maybe, she should. She didn't think things were going too fast, even though, usually, she really would have thought just that. And none of this scared her, though the fact that it didn't scare her, did, in fact, scare her.

But not nearly enough to not want to keep Anna around the house.

When Elsa walked back into the room, Anna was standing in the middle of it, phone clutched in her hand while she gave Elsa a half-hearted smile. "So… about the 'doing nothing…' Slight change of plans. Mind having dinner at my parents' tonight? Some of my brothers and sisters will probably be around as well."

Elsa smiled. "Sounds lovely, Anna. But only if you want to as well."

Anna gave her a relieved smile. "I hoped you'd say that, because I sort of already said yes, maybe?"

Elsa chuckled, shaking her fondly. "Well then, that's settled. Now, can you help me with putting the suitcases away? They need to be on the top shelf, and you're a pro at lifting stuff with your awesome superpowers."

Anna nodded, walking into their bedroom and taking a suitcase in each hand, lifting them up without too much effort. As Elsa watched the muscles in the redhead's arms tense and flex, she realised it was taking Anna more effort than she was used to, as evidenced by her slightly heavier breathing.

"Sheesh, did you even unpack these?" the redhead grumbled as she shoved the cases into their spots and turned around.

"Yes, Anna," the blonde replied, grabbing a hold of Anna's bicep and turning her towards her. When she looked closer, she could see that her girlfriend's face was slowly starting to become paler again. "You're just getting weaker because you haven't fed for a while…"

Anna shrugged. "You're probably right. Don't worry, though, I'm fine. I won't have to feed for another week or so before things get… iffy."

"Iffy?"

"Yeah, iffy. You know, like, not good?"

"No one says 'iffy' anymore nowadays, Anna. Are you sure you're only twenty-one?"

"Ha ha, make fun of the vampire, will you?"

Elsa smiled to her girlfriend, whose grumpy face cleared up quickly. "Come on, we have a few hours to get ready to go over to your parents' place. That should be plenty of time for us to take a shower, for you to feed, then to pick our outfits and do our hair and make-up," Elsa summed up calmly, already walking towards the bathroom.

"A shower does sound good right about now, and- Wait! I just told you I don't need to feed, Els!"

She rolled her eyes to herself as Anna barged into the bathroom after her. "I know. But I don't want you to feed when you're already feeling bad, Anna. I want you to feed _before_ it's _really_ necessary."

"What if I don't want to?"

Elsa turned around, crossing her arms over her chest. "Why don't you want to, Anna?"

That was clearly not the response her girlfriend had expected, seeming to be taking back a little. "You know why," she countered defiantly.

"Because you don't want to hurt me? Because I thought we've been over that already."

"It wasn't even that long ago when I last fed!" Anna tried.

"The last time was in Norway, and that's almost a week ago, Anna. Clearly, that's long enough for you to need to feed again."

"But it will get so messy!" Anna almost whined now, sounding like a petulant child.

"Which is why you'll be feeding under the shower. All the blood will just be washed away," Elsa shrugged, having thought of everything. Seeing that Anna was still not convinced, she grabbed her arms and slowly pulled her towards her. "I _want_ you to feed off me, Anna," she husked.

As soon as the words had left her lips, she heard the click from Anna's fangs resounding through the bathroom, a vicious blush overtaking the vampire's face. "That was not intentional," she admitted shyly.

Elsa felt heat spreading throughout her body, already busy shedding her clothes. "All the better, then," she muttered with a cheeky grin as she turned the shower on. When she turned back, Anna was already naked, gliding her tongue across her fangs as her eyes roved over Elsa's body.

She had wanted to make a smug comment at seeing the arousal in Anna's eyes, but as she watched her girlfriend looking at her like that, she felt her throat go dry, preventing her from saying anything for several long seconds, during which Anna took the initiative and started taking off the remainder of Elsa's clothes.

"You look like you're about ready to eat me up," the blonde eventually said, her voice low, when her throat finally cleared.

The redhead gave her a smirk as she gently pushed her under the shower. "I do think that was the idea, yes."

Before she knew what was happening, Anna had her pinned against the wall, warm water cascading down her body as Anna's slick skin started sliding against her own and her tongue deftly invaded her mouth, pulling a deep moan from her throat.

Elsa couldn't keep track of Anna's hands, which slid from her hips, upwards over her ribcage to her breasts, and then back down towards the dip in her back, before settling on her hips again. She also couldn't keep track of her own hands, having absolutely no idea where they were exactly, except for 'on Anna.'

Which is where they belonged anyway, so that was all fine.

As Anna's hand gently slid over Elsa's pulse point, she suddenly stilled. "Jesus, Elsa, your heart is _pounding_," she breathed, half amazement, half shock. The blonde felt Anna's hand sliding down in between her legs, gently teasing the sensitive skin. "Are you sure you want this? Are you okay?"

She managed to open her eyes long enough to look into Anna's, discerning concern, love and lust swirling around in the normally vibrant eyes. "Bite me."

She hardly recognized her own voice, having taken on a rougher, lower tone than usual, which seemed to immediately affect Anna, who was now kissing and suckling her pulse point, tongue occasionally lapping over her skin as her hand worked its magic between her legs.

It wasn't long before Elsa felt the scraping of Anna's fangs over the skin between her neck and her shoulder, and, for a moment, she was certain Anna was getting ready to bite her there. She anticipated it.

But then the redhead moved her mouth away again, quickly placing kisses along her breasts and belly as she moved to the inside of her thigh. Elsa heard her mumble something, but found her mind to be too hazy to properly process the words to have any meaning.

Only when the sharp sting of Anna's fangs penetrating her skin was felt did she realise it had probably been a warning. The pain subsided quickly enough, though, making place for a burning, but not unpleasant, feeling.

She rested her head against the wall behind her for a moment, letting the water wash off of her while Anna drank her blood eagerly. Once her mind began to clear slightly, she could actually feel Anna's tongue lapping at the wound her fangs had inflicted, causing a sudden spike of arousal to shoot through her body.

When the redhead's hand resumed its work between her legs, Elsa felt her knees buckle, being grateful for the support of the wall, and the strong arm of her girlfriend that held her at her hip. It felt like an eternity, even though the rational side of her mind acknowledged it was probably less than a minute, until Anna moved away from the wound, gently sucking on one of her nipples before roughly kissing her again.

Her girlfriend knew exactly what she was doing – she always did – and Elsa was left a shivering mess in her arms before she even got a chance to reciprocate any of the feelings. She watched the water and blood mix on the white tiles, slowly being drained away, as she came down from her high, Anna's strong arms now enveloping her.

"You okay there?" her soft voice asked, right beside her ear.

Elsa couldn't help the happiness escaping from her chest in a bubbly laugh. "Never better. What about you?"

Anna beamed back at her. "Never better."

Elsa moved her hand down Anna's side, slowly but surely working her way downwards with the intent of reciprocating. She was surprised to find Anna's firm hand grasping her own, holding it still. "Don't," the redhead whispered.

Elsa looked at her with raised eyebrows, afraid of having done something wrong. Anna merely smiled sheepishly. "I like this. Being close to you, like this. I like the sex too, but right now, I like this better," she muttered, red overtaking her cheeks. "If that's not weird or anything."

Elsa wrapped her arms around Anna, folding her hands together just above the swell of her behind. "Not at all," she whispered in return, pulling Anna impossibly closer. "I like this, too."

The thought of the water bill skyrocketing crossed Elsa's mind briefly as they held each other under the hot water, but it did not bother her enough to actually end their shower together. Something else, however, was still nagging at the back of her mind.

"Can I ask you something?"

An affirmative murmur was the only response she got from her girlfriend, who smiled contentedly with her eyes closed.

"Were you about to bite my neck before you… you know, went down there?"

She felt Anna tensing up in her arms and quickly moved a hand to her head, twining her fingers in her hair to soothe her. The shorter girl now looked up at her, no trace left of the smile from before, and Elsa felt guilty for ruining the moment. There was a long silence before Anna answered.

"Yes," she eventually breathed. "Please don't be angry…" she continued weakly.

"I'm not angry, silly," Elsa assured her. "I was just wondering why you didn't?"

Anna shrugged, relaxing somewhat. "It was just a reflex, I think. It's how I was taught to feed when I was young… And I didn't do it because, well… the marks would be visible. Easily covered up, sure, but visible nonetheless."

Elsa nodded, taking a deep breath. "If… If I asked you to bite me there, would you?"

Anna wavered for a moment, before closing her eyes with a sigh. "Yes. If you wanted me to, and asked me to do it, I would," she admitted, shoulders sagging a little.

Elsa wasn't sure why this was so important, but somehow, it was. She _wanted_ Anna to bite her somewhere where others would be able to see it. She wanted people to _know_ what she and Anna had together.

But she wasn't blind, nor was she a fool, and she could see that Anna clearly wasn't ready for such a step yet. Heck, it was big enough of a leap to actually bite her, let alone moving on to leaving visible marks already.

"Don't worry," she crooned softly. "I would never ask you to do anything you don't want to."

Anna smiled sweetly. "Maybe, someday, if that's alright with you. For now, I think we should get out of the shower… _You_ are starting to shrivel up."

* * *

Elsa was surprised to see a taller, even slimmer version of Anna opening the door. She was leaning against the half-open door casually, hand at her hip and a lazy smile adorning her lips. That didn't last long, though, when Elsa's own shrieking redhead tackled the _other_ redhead in a hug.

"Ariel!" she shrieked, startling one of the servants down the hall. "Mother didn't say you were home!"

The other girl, Ariel apparently, laughed as she picked Anna up and held her at an arm's length. "I told her not to, because I wanted to see your reaction," she laughed. "You look well." Immediately after, she turned her attention towards Elsa, her fangs popping into view with a loud click. "Oh, and you brought food."

Anna looked absolutely mortified, eyes wide and mouth agape, ready to scold the woman, but Elsa's mind was faster. "Yes, she did. But not for you, I'm afraid," the blonde quipped.

There was a beat of silence before Ariel erupted in a boisterous laugh. "Ha! I approve of her, Little Beaver," she smiled, ruffling Anna's hair. "Now, introductions?"

Anna shot the woman one last glare, before sighing and turning to Elsa. "Elsa, this is my sister Ariel. Before you ask, she's a little over three-hundred years young. Ariel, this is Elsa, my girlfriend."

Elsa smiled as they shook hands, Ariel folding her fangs back again. "You look… really good for someone of your age," she muttered astounded.

"So do you," Ariel winked in reply. "Now come on in, Mother and Father told us so much about the two of you, and the others are dying to meet you."

"Who's here?" Anna asked as they walked down the hallway. "Only me, Louis and Patrick," Ariel shrugged, grinning when she noticed Anna making a face. "I know, I know. Patrick invited himself."

"Of course he did," Anna muttered under her breath, looking over at Elsa. "Patrick is the one with the ridiculously long hair, Els. Whatever he says, don't pay too much attention to it. The entire family sort of dislikes him, but he's family, so we stick with him anyway."

Ariel laughed. "And if he gets too bothersome, just give me a call. I have more than two-hundred years on him, so I can slap some sense into him if need be."

Ariel was about to open a set of double doors when they violently swung open towards her, allowing Elsa the possibility to see some of Ariel's vampiric abilities in action. For a moment, she was certain that the doors would hit all of them in their face, but within a split second, Ariel was in front of her, stopping the incoming piece of heavy wood with the palm of her hand.

The other door crashed into the wall so hard one of the paintings fell off of it, cracking its frame. A tall red-haired man, his hair reaching down almost to his knees, stood in the door opening, looking at the fallen painting with a lazy smile. "Oh. Oops."

"Yeah," Ariel groused. "Oops. You just ruined dad's favourite painting, you imbecile. And, as if that wasn't bad enough, you _nearly_ injured our _guest_."

The man, Patrick, Elsa assumed, looked her over lazily. "Oh, right. The human. She looks fine to me, don't she?"

Ariel held out her hand, the imprint from the wood still clearly visible on her hand. "No thanks to you, Paddy," she almost-sneered. Anna also looked angry, but seemed to be determined to stay out of it.

"Whatever, sis," Patrick replied, waving his hand languidly. "No harm done, right? You should bring the little tyke to the old people now. You know how much they've been looking forward to this." He started walking away, looking over his shoulder. "Oh, and Anna? You got yourself a real looker there!"

Both of the sisters merely huffed, dragging Elsa off into the opposite direction. Elsa chose not to comment on their brother, seeing as both of the redheads had their jaws clenched. The tension only dissipated when they walked into a comfortably looking room where they found Anna's parents, as well as a redhead Elsa hadn't met yet, and who would, she assumed, be Louis.

"Our guests," Ariel bellowed with a grand gesture, "have arrived!"

Anna's mother stopped playing the piano, getting up from the piano's bench and wrapping them both in a hug. "It's so good to see you again," she gushed as her husband and son left the chess game they were involved in and walked towards them.

"Anna, Elsa," he smiled, also giving them hugs. The other man waited behind them, politely extending his hand and shaking Elsa's. "Pleasure to meet you. I'm Louis, Anna's oldest brother. We've heard a lot about you."

Elsa blushed under the attention, and wished it would shift somewhere else. When it shifted towards Anna, though, she kind of wished they had remained focused on her instead. "You look well, Anna," Roger remarked. "Have you fed recently?"

Anna's face immediately flushed red. "Dad," she admonished in a harsh whisper. "That's private!"

"Hardly, Little Beaver," Ariel laughed as she draped herself over the divan. "We all do it, hun. It's nothing to be ashamed of."

Sara cocked her head to the side. "If my calculations are correct, though, Elsa is not on her period yet," she murmured out loud.

"Mom!" Anna stage-whispered. "That's _really_ private!"

Louis shook his head with a fond chuckle. "Oh, little one, you know they won't let you off the hook until you spill."

Anna's shoulders hunched in defeat. "No, Elsa's not on her period. Yes, I've fed recently. And before you ask, yes, I used my fangs."

Both parents seemed to light up at receiving this news, wrapping their arms around their daughter and her girlfriend again. "I assume you went for the thigh?" her father asked, almost conspiratorially.

"Okay, dad, there's no way I'm answering _that_," Anna said, crossing her arms with a huff.

"Always a good way to go if you don't want to be obvious about it," Ariel supplied from the divan.

* * *

Dinner had been a lovely, if quiet, affair, during which Sara had been stewing over the loss of the Rembrandt, and during which Patrick had been conspicuously absent, a servant having brought word that he had left the premises and hadn't told anyone when he would be back.

After dinner, they had all gone back towards one of the many sitting rooms the family had throughout their gigantic house, Elsa having gotten in conversation with Ariel early on, discussing anything from favourite animals to experiences in the past.

"Oh, I've been to France quite often!" Ariel chimed in, watching Anna playing chess with Louis. "I grew up there, until we went to Britain when I was seventeen, even."

Elsa raised an eyebrow. "Anna said you were three-hundred-something, so if you were seventeen, that'd have been around the-"

"French Revolution," Ariel filled in. "Yeah, it was. Mom gave birth to me in Versailles – it's where all the nobility lived, you know? We moved to Paris when I was six, scaling down because the nobility wasn't really all that popular anymore," Ariel remembered with a frown.

"Things were fine for a while, really. I mean, I was old enough to understand what was going on, and I knew we'd just have to keep our heads down until it all blew over. We were fine. And then Robespierre started gathering followers, and Mother and Father decided to get the hell out of there…" Ariel looked deep in thought for a moment, before continuing. "I'm sure you know what happened later."

Elsa nodded. "The Terror, yes. It's… hard to grasp how much of the world's history you have seen…"

"Are you calling me old?" Ariel joked, before shrugging. "If you want history, you should talk to our parents. They're _ancient_."

At the word ancient, Sara immediately turned her head. "Your father, maybe. I am no such thing."

Louis laughed from across the room, moving one of his bishops across the board. "No, Mother, we know. Father is ancient, you are medieval."

Elsa raised an eyebrow towards the oldest vampires in the room, urging Roger to start his tale. "I was born in Greece, a long, long time ago. Frankly, I've lost track and am not quite certain how …_ ancient_, I am. I should look that up sometime. Anyway, not much interesting happened until the Middle Ages anyway. I was a few hundred years old, at the time, and roaming through what is now eastern Germany."

Everyone settled around the pair, the chess game long forgotten as they listened to the story that they – undoubtedly- had already heard several times.

"There had been a pretty big scare in Russia. Some vampire had killed half a village in a raging case of blood frenzy." He paused. "It's a disease that-"

"Causes vampires to acquire an immense and uncontrollable lust for blood, I know," Elsa cut him off.

Roger laughed. "I see you've studied your literature. Very good. Anyway, big scare in Russia. The vampire was caught, staked, burned and quartered. But the people were frightened to bits, of course, accusing everyone they saw at night of being a nocturnal monster. So many humans died in that period. Several vampires too, of course. Not all allegations were false.

Regardless, I'd decided it was time to leave that place, and that life, behind. I ended up in Germany, dead-set on never biting a human again. I saw the terror that it had caused and wouldn't have any part of it. I tried to feed off of livestock, but quickly found that, besides being disgusting, animal blood didn't properly sustain me. That's how Sara found me."

At that point, Sara took over. "I'd heard strange noises outside. No one ever came near our farm, and my parents were both asleep, so I took a lantern and went to check it out. Imagine my surprise when I found a man, a grown man, stuck under the body of one of our cows, covered in blood.

I panicked, of course, but had little notion of what was going on. I thought he was just a random cow-murderer that had gotten caught up."

Ariel snorted. "Yeah, like that was a regular thing to happen, right?"

Sara smiled at her daughter affectionately. "Well, the man assured me that he _had_ killed the cow, but with good reason, and that he wouldn't harm me, if only I could get the cow off of him. Somehow, the two of us managed, him being horribly weak and tired and me being the scrawny thing I was back then.

I stashed him in our attic. No one ever came up there besides me, so I knew he would be safe. He assured me that a few days of rest would see him fit again. He lied, obviously. Without feeding, he grew weaker and weaker with every passing hour, and I was at my wit's end as to how I could help him.

Eventually, he told me he was a vampire. Now, mind you, we were a superstitious lot back then, so I started chucking garlic at him."

Both of the vampires laughed at the memory before Sara continued. "Eventually, I calmed down enough to sit down and hear him out. He explained how he had vowed off feeding off humans, which was what had gotten him in this bind, so to speak. It took me four more days to convince him to feed from me. By then, he was close to dying, even though he did, and always will, insist that he could have gone on for months longer."

Roger took a deep breath, taking over from his wife again. "I fed from her wrist, taking only just enough to get back to my usual self. I thanked her, and told her that, come sunrise, I'd be out of her hair.

When I'd packed up my few belongings and went outside two hours later, I found her waiting for me, two horses saddled and packed with enough food to last us for weeks. We squabbled for a while, because I was not going to let her leave her home to travel with a vampire. She insisted, saying that she knew I wouldn't feed off any humans, and thus end up in the same situation again. She offered to accompany me on my travels, being my thrall.

Over the years, we developed a crush, fell in love, argued, made up, argued again, made up again. Almost fifteen years after we met on that fated night, Sara finally convinced me to turn her into one of us. Almost four hundred years later, she became pregnant with our first child – something believed to be impossible for vampires, at the time."

Louis gave a little wave. "That would have been me. Born in Venice, during the Renaissance. Great period to be alive in, there were so many-"

"Oh, please! Not this drabble again!" a lazy, annoyed voice came from the doorway. "We've all heard _this_ boring story before. Much art, high culture, technical development, bla, bla, bla. No one cares, Louis. Sheesh."

Their heads turned towards the door in unison, finding Patrick standing there with a tiny smirk.

"Where have you been, Patrick?" Roger immediately asked, eyes narrowing slightly.

"Oh, just here and there, you know how it is," the son answered dismissively. "Let's not get into boring details. I'm much more interested in…" he paused as his smile grew predatory, "… that scrumptious looking human we have here."

"Show some respect and decency towards your sister's partner, Patrick," Sara said, her voice icy and the warning evident in her tone.

"Oh, I meant it in the absolute best way," the man responded, not taking his eyes of Elsa. "You know, as a compliment. I think I'm actually a little jealous, even. Then again, Anna has never really been known for being careful with her belongings. Maybe she'll leave her laying around the house sometime, hm? I can hardly wait to find out what you taste like, blondie… Trust me, I have no qualms about leaving marks. I'm not like my little –argh!"

He never managed to finish his sentence, Anna having dashed forward, fangs extended and eyes practically glowing red as she growled, twisting her brother's arm backwards and upwards, forcing him onto his knees as his wrist was squeezed in a vicelike grip.

"Argh, fuck, let go of me, you crazy bitch!" he wailed. "I'll make you pay for this! I'm your superior!"

Patrick struggled to get back to his feet, and for a moment, it seemed as if he'd push Anna off without any trouble. But when he was about halfway up, Anna roughly pushed him down again, earning her shocked gasps from the entire room.

Roger's "Anna, please let go of your brother, now," was almost drowned out by Patrick's indignant howl, yelling about being older and thus stronger. Anna let go of his arm as if it had burned her, quickly taking a step back.

"She CAN'T be stronger than me!" Patrick yelled angrily, being held against the wall on the far end of the room by Ariel, while Louis had gently placed his hands on Anna's shoulders. Sara and Roger glanced at each other for a moment, before Sara sent her son such a powerful glare that he immediately fell silent.

"What just happened, Anna?" Roger asked, sternly, but not unkindly.

Anna shrugged, all fight having left her. "I don't know. I got angry, next thing I knew, I was holding him down."

"Understandable, but I meant _how_."

Anna shrugged again. "It didn't feel like he was really trying to get up. I've wrestled humans that were stonger."

Patrick howled out in anger again, before being silenced by his mother again. "Were you holding back, Patrick?" she asked, still glaring disapprovingly.

"Hell no! I'll tear the little bitch to pieces if I get the chance!"

"When did you last feed?" Roger interrupted.

"An hour ago," Patrick huffed in reply. "It's the reason I wasn't at dinner."

"And you, Anna?"

"This afternoon, right before we went here," Anna replied, blushing softly.

Sara and Roger shared another furtive glance, almost too brief to be noticed, during which Sara gave her husband an almost imperceptible nod. Roger took a deep breath and straightened his shoulders, seeming to grow into a much more powerful figure.

"Listen up, all of you. You are my children, and you will obey my commands. This is what is going to happen: we all forget about this incident. You will not discuss it with anyone, you will not write any of this down, you will not even _think_ about it anymore. Have I made myself clear?"

All the redheads in the room, including Patrick, nodded solemnly. Roger turned towards Elsa.

"Elsa, I know I have no power over you, but I would really appreciate it if-"

Elsa nodded before he could finish his request. "I won't. My lips are sealed."

"Good. Ariel, bring your brother to his room, and make sure he doesn't leave it tonight, please. Louis, please go and find our thralls, and tell them we won't be needing them tonight, if you would."

Roger's requests were immediately fulfilled, leaving Elsa with only Anna and her parents. "I think it is best if you two go home, for now," Roger said, placing a hand on their shoulders. "I know tonight was strange and you must have so many questions, but right now, I do not have any answers for you. Give your mother and I the chance to look into this. When we find out where your strength came from, we will let you know."

Anna nodded, twining her fingers together with Elsa's. "Am I in trouble?" she asked, her voice small.

"Of course not, dear," Sara answered, hugging the both of them. "You have done nothing wrong. We will see you again in two weeks, right?"

Anna looked at them brows furrowed in confusion. "You will?"

"Moonfeast, sweetheart," Sara explained, causing Anna to immediately light up, as if everything that had just happened had not transpired.

"Right! Yes, we'll be there!"

"Good. Now, go home, get some sleep, and don't worry too much, alright honey?"

* * *

"Do you want to talk about it?" Elsa asked later that night, as they both lay in bed, staring at the ceiling.

"I don't know," Anna answered after a beat of silence. "I don't even know what happened. Patrick is my senior by more than half a century. He should have been able to toss me around the room like a ragdoll."

"Has a younger vampire never beaten an older one?" Elsa asked curiously.

"Not that I know of. Maybe through cunning or some smart ploy, but never in strength, I think."

Elsa chuckled. "Then again, if it _had_ happened, I imagine you would be the last person to know, seeing as you seem to hate books as much as sunlight."

"Hey!" Anna yelped, pushing Elsa playfully. "I'm having an existential crisis here, and you're being mean to me?"

Elsa feigned surprise. "Oh, what do you know? It seems I am, yes. Question is, what are you going to do about it?"

Before she could even prepare herself, Anna had already pounced, now straddling her hips.

"Oh, I can think of _several_ things," the redhead purred.


	8. Chapter 8

"Anna?" Elsa asked, looking up from the chair she was settled in.

"Yes?" the redhead replied, voice drifting into the room from the kitchen.

"Anna, could you come over here for a moment? I want to ask you something."

"You just did, silly. Just speak a little louder and I can answer from back here. I'm making a grocery list!"

"Anna-"

"What is it, Elsa?" the redhead interrupted, still in the kitchen.

Elsa had been fretting over this the entire morning, and finally decided that something had to happen to get her out of her worried state of mind. "I'm scared, Anna," she muttered, hardly loud enough for it to be heard in the kitchen.

Nonetheless, her vampire girlfriend was kneeling next to her chair, holding her hand, in less than two seconds, gazing up at her with concern and adoration. "Why?"

Elsa refrained from rolling her eyes, though only barely. Instead, she send Anna an exasperated look, arching her eyebrow for good measure. "Your brother, of course. Patrick didn't seem to be too pleased about last night, and he didn't strike me as the type of person to just give up."

Anna smiled sweetly, gently squeezing Elsa's knee. "Don't worry about Paddy, Els. Dad told all of us to ignore what happened. If dad tells us to do something, it gets done, regardless of our personal feelings, thoughts or desires. There's no disobeying dad."

"Are you… absolutely certain?" Elsa asked carefully, still not fully reassured.

"Yes," Anna answered immediately, leaving no doubt about the matter at hand. "Even Patrick isn't _that_ stupid."

Taking in a deep breath and slowly releasing it again, Elsa shot Anna a tender smile. "I'm sorry. I'm probably just being silly. It's just a little overwhelming to be dealing with vampires all of a sudden. You can go back to the important task of making a grocery list," she added with a small smile.

The redhead merely huffed. "Making a grocery list isn't _that_ important, Elsa…"

"Oh please," Elsa laughed. "If you don't make a grocery list, you'll return with all kinds of candy and chocolate, but no milk or bread. I'd say making a grocery list is the most important thing you'll do today."

Her girlfriend merely gave her a playful role of her eyes before hopping back to her feet and lazily dragging herself back to the kitchen, from where the sound of opening and closing cupboards soon started filling the apartment again.

Returning her attention to the book resting in her lap, Elsa was soon lost in the history of the vampiric tribes living across Africa, only looking up from the yellowed pages when she heard a firm knocking on her door.

Knowing that Anna, who was now humming a tune while swishing through the kitchen, would probably not hear the knocking, Elsa placed her book on a side-table, got up from her chair, and went to open it.

She had a momentary deja-vu, and it took her a few seconds to realize that she was not staring at Anna, leaning up against the doorframe, but her older sister. "Ariel? What are you doing here?"

Ariel flicked her dripping wet hair over her shoulder, sending Elsa a winsome grin. "I was in the neighbourhood and figured I'd drop by to check out Anna's new home. Hope you don't mind me dropping by unannounced like this? If you have plans I'll just go out and come back another time."

"Of course not. Besides, I would be a horrible person if I'd let you go back out into the rain."

Ariel laughed delightedly. "I much prefer rain over sunshine. We are quirky like that. Aren't we, Anna!" Ariel said, the last part loud enough for Anna to hear it even from the kitchen.

"Ariel? What on earth are you doing-"

"You're lagging behind, dear sister. We've already gone over that part of the conversation!"

Elsa chuckled. "Can I offer you something to drink?"

To her surprise, Anna already came walking into the living room, handing Ariel a glass of orange juice. "You remembered!" the older redhead smiled, giving Anna a quick, one-armed hug.

Anna grinned happily. "It may have been two years that we saw each other last, but I'm not _that_ forgetful, okay?"

Ariel winked playfully, turning her attention to the rest of the apartment. "You two have a lovely- Anna! Did you finally listen to father and take up your studies?" she immediately asked, seeing the pile of books resting on the dinner table.

The younger vampire made a face, scrunching her nose up and shutting her eyes. "No! Elsa is doing all the studying for me! Why would I need to know anything if she knows everything?"

Ariel seemed to be considering her reply for a moment, eventually giving a casual shrug. "Because, eventually, Elsa will die, and you will not." There was a stunned silence for several heartbeats. "Unless you plan to turn her, of course."

"That's none of your business," Anna replied huffily.

"You're right, it's not," Ariel replied good-naturedly, walking over to the stack of books. "But it was the only honest reply to your question. I didn't mean to offend anyone."

Anna sighed deeply. "It's fine. We're just a little tense around the subject. Mostly because I really don't want to turn Elsa, and I think, deep down, she does want me to. Eventually."

Ariel nodded, taking one of the books in her hands. "You're both still young, and your relationship is too. I'm sure you two will work it out eventually."

"Do you have… a significant other?" Elsa asked hesitantly.

"Nope. Had a few boyfriends. A few girlfriends too. But nothing serious so far. But hey, I'm still young too, so I'm sure I'll be fine too. So… what're you reading up on?"

"Right now, the vampires residing in small communities around Africa," Elsa responded, pointing to the old, leather-bound volume. "Their doctrine of isolation out of self-preservation is quite intriguing."

Ariel nodded. "It is, yes. Quite contrary to the general mind-set of integration and blending in. I assume you read about the time of the Roman Empire?"

Elsa nodded fervently. "Oh, yes. It was quite interesting to read about the amount of highly placed officials were actually vampires. Which reminds me, has there really been a vampiric Pope?"

Ariel chuckled. "Yeah, though he only lasted a few years. Surprisingly, he wasn't the worst Pope ever either."

"Hey, are you two going to be okay for a while?" Anna suddenly piped up. "Because if you are, I'm going to run to the grocery store real quick."

She hardly waited for the two women to reply, quickly snatching her grocery list and bag from the kitchen and hurrying out of the door as if the building were on fire.

"She's always been a little afraid of learning," Ariel murmured with a smile. "Used to drive father and mother crazy. She invented all kinds of clever ways to keep out of the library, until our parents finally gave up. And mind you, we have over a dozen siblings, most of which tried to get out of their studies, and Anna was the first to succeed. I suppose we should give her credit for that, if nothing else."

Elsa smiled a little. "I think anyone who has the experience of suddenly discovering vampires are real when you've spent your entire life believing it to be merely a fanciful thing cannot help finding learning about them terribly interesting."

Roving her eyes over the stack of reading materials, Ariel cocked her head sideways. "I see you've got quite a bit of father's collection here. I'm surprised he let you take them… He's usually quite protective about his tomes. Still, I imagine you must have some questions, right? All of these old, scholarly vampires aren't particularly known for their clarity."

Elsa fiddled with the corner of one of the books for a moment, considering the maelstrom of different questions milling about in her head. "Well, the most important questions I have is… about turning humans?" She grimaced slightly at Ariel's knowing look, but continued nonetheless. "Your father gave me this book about it, but it's all very abstract and deals more with the consequences and rules around turning than the… actual turning itself."

Ariel nodded. "That's logical. All vampires learn how to turn a human from their parents, so there's not really any need for a book on the specifics, though I'm sure they exist… Tell me, Elsa, does this mean you _want_ to be turned?"

Elsa nodded warily. "Not now, of course. But eventually… I always thought I wanted to grow old with Anna… but seeing and hearing your parents talk about their lives, I've started to realise that… maybe growing old enough with Anna isn't enough. Maybe I just want to be with her forever?" She paused for a moment, letting her thoughts settle. "And I don't want to turn into an old, wrinkled, grey woman, while Anna will always be her young, red-headed lively self. I don't want her to have to take care of me when I can't walk on my own anymore…"

Ariel gently placed her hands on Elsa's shoulders. "You really need to talk about this… to Anna, I mean. I can tell you how it all works, but I don't think I should. You should hear all that from Anna…"

"But-"

"Listen, Elsa. I know Anna can be stubborn and difficult. About biting, about turning, about what to have for dinner… And I understand that you want to give her space to work things out… But there is a difference between giving Anna space, and giving in to whatever Anna wants. You're in this relationship together, and you both have a say in how it will progress. Don't let Anna walk all over you just because you might make her uncomfortable from time to time."

Elsa nodded, slowly and uncertainly. "She doesn't even want to bite me where someone might see the marks…"

"She didn't even want to bite you at all, at first. But you got past that, and you will get past this, as long as you don't give up on each other…"

"Maybe you're right…"

Ariel merely gave her a cocky smirk. "Oh, trust me. I'm right. So… any other questions? Maybe slightly less personal ones?"

"What is Moonfeast?" Elsa asked immediately, having tried asking Anna but not having gotten a very fulfilling answer.

"Anna didn't tell you?"

"She's been dodging the question all morning. Why do you think she volunteered herself for grocery shopping?"

"Hm, yes. I did think that was a bit out of character for her, come to think of it…" Ariel murmured to herself. "It's strange, though. Moonfeast isn't anything to be ashamed or shy about. It's not like we all dance naked around a bonfire while chanting demonic songs or anything."

Elsa arched her eyebrows. "Well, that's… oddly specific."

"That was what we did during Moonfeast centuries ago, before I was even born, and when we, meaning vampires, were still… slightly less civilized, I suppose. But don't worry, nowadays everyone keeps their clothes on. Unless they get too much wine into them. I remember a Moonfeast where one of the recently turned vampires went out to dance in the rain, but that was an exception."

The blonde shook her head good-naturedly. "So, what is Moonfeast exactly?"

"Well, basically, it's a yearly celebration of being a vampire," Ariel shrugged. "Nearly all vampires gather together in one of the main dwellings, the homes of the heads of the important families, and we have a sort of… party, I suppose? We get together, drink wine or beer or milk or whatever, catch up on each other's lives, exchange pleasantries and jokes, introduce people to other people. It's very much a social gathering."

"And humans are welcome?"

"Of course! In fact, it's customary for vampires to invite their thralls to Moonfeast. Mother and Father's thralls will be there, my thrall will be there, and you will be there too, because Father already invited you. So even if Anna doesn't, you get to come and meet more awesome people!"

"I wonder why Anna wouldn't tell me about all this, though…"

"I wouldn't worry about it too much, Elsa," Ariel said earnestly. "Anna's never been a great fan of Moonfeast. She's never been a great fan of vampires either. While most of us see vampirism as a blessing, Anna's always been a little more conflicted about it. Maybe because her stilling came so early, and she'll always be as she is now. I don't know. But I'm sure it's nothing important… You should ask her, though. You know, if it really worries you. You should ask her."

Elsa nodded again, watching Ariel browse the books with obvious delight. "It's been so long since I read all these," the redhead muttered. "I'm surprised Father still has all of them. I'd have thought Anna had ripped a few of them up during her… ahem… 'Studies.'"

Elsa laughed. "I doubt Anna would be foolish enough to ruin one of your Father's treasured books."

"You're probably right. I mean, we were all there when Patrick thought it was funny to throw Father's first-edition of Jane Austen's _Pride and Prejudice_ in the pool while throwing a hissy-fit. For a while there, we thought we'd never see him again after Father whisked him away."

"What happened?"

"We don't know…" Ariel mused. "Can't have been all that serious, though. Father returned that same night, and Patrick came crawling back a month or so later, so I imagine Father just left him somewhere out in the middle of nowhere."

At Elsa's raised eyebrows, Ariel chuckled. "Hardly the worst possible punishment for a vampire, Elsa."

"I'll take your word for it," the blonde muttered dryly. "So, Moonfeast? I take it this year it will be held here?"

"Yes. Father's the host this year. Saves us all a trip to wherever the heck we'd have to go otherwise. Lucky us, right?" Without awaiting a response, she jumped up. "Might I make use of your bathroom for a moment?"

With a good-natured eye-roll, Elsa pointed her in the right direction. As she sat at the table, mulling over her own thoughts, she almost missed the knocking at the door. "Anna, did you forget your keys again?" she called as she made her way to the door.

When she opened it, though, she did not come face to face with Anna, but with a remarkably more unwelcome redhead. "Oops. Surprise," Patrick smiled, already having his foot in the door.

Elsa backed away slowly, trying to get some distance between herself and the vampire that towered over her. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, you know. I gave this a fair bit of thought. For some reason, I can't hurt Anna. But! Then I thought, 'yes, I can.' I just had to think outside the box, you see? I can hurt Anna… by hurting you!"

Patrick was still stalking forward like a predator, his fangs now visible. Elsa grimaced as he ran his tongue across his fangs. Whereas Anna made that gesture looks sexy and enticing, Patrick merely managed to make it revolting. "If little Anna was willing to bite you, you must be exceptionally… tasty."

As he lunged forward, Elsa shut her eyes closed. She was prepared for the impact, which would happen any moment now. Instead, she felt a gush of wind rushing past her, and heard the loud crashing of glass and wood. Opening her eyes again in a reflex, she realised Patrick wasn't in front of her anymore. She turned towards the coffee table – or what remained of it – to find Patrick laying on the ground, surrounded by pieces of wood, and Ariel kneeling over him, holding him down with both hands on his chest.

"What were you thinking, you blasted idiot!" she yelled at him, her fangs also visible now.

"You!? You weren't supposed to be here, damn you!"

"Why, Patrick? So you could go and take your petty vengeance on Anna by attacking Elsa? Father _commanded_ us to forget what happened last night. Do you know what position this puts us in?"

Fast as lightning, Ariel pulled Patrick to his feet, pushing him away from herself. The man merely brushed off his shoulders. "Just don't tell him, then."

"You know I can't do that, Paddy," Ariel began to respond, cutting herself off as the man charged at her again. Focusing on the scene before her, Elsa barely managed to see Ariel sidestepping in time, using Patrick's long hair against him by twisting it around her fist, before moving towards the far wall and slamming his head into it, leaving a large indentation in the brick wall, the stone crumbling around their feet.

"Let go of me, you bloody bitch!"

Ariel sighed, not loosening her grip on his hair. "I really wish you hadn't attacked me again, Paddy. If you couldn't beat Anna, what on earth made you think you could beat me? And now I'll have to drag you all the way back home… You've always been such a bother."

"What happened to my house!?" a shriek came from the doorway. Everyone turned their attention towards Anna, who had dropped her bags with groceries to the ground upon taking in the scene.

Elsa dryly cleared her throat. "I think you mean 'what did you do to Elsa's house?'"

"Nuh-uh," Anna interjected, waggling her finger. "You asked me to move in, so it's our house."

Ariel grinned sheepishly. "I'm sorry, Anna. Next time I'll just let your brother attack your girlfriend and sit back to watch the show, alright?"

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Anna shook her head. "No, Ariel. Thank you. I just wish you hadn't had to demolish _our_ home."

"It's just the table and the wall, Little Beaver. I'm sure Father will pay for the reparations. Speaking of… we should probably go and see him like, right now."

Anna nodded, picking the plastic bags up again. "Just let me put these away."

"Of course."

She had hardly left the room before another shriek resounded throughout the apartment. "What on earth happened to the bathroom door, Ariel?!"

"Oh… right…" the older sister muttered. "Forgot about that…"

* * *

"Miss Borges," the servant nodded. "Your Father can be found in his library. Your mother is in the art gallery."

Just as soon as he had appeared to open the door, he also disappeared again, returning to his daily duties. The walk to the library was taking in absolute silence, and the blonde could see that both female redheads were absolutely fuming, but trying to control their considerable tempers. Ariel still had Patrick's hair wrapped around her fist, using it to steer him in whatever direction she wanted.

"Father?" Anna called upon entering the library.

"Back here," a distant voice responded. "In the history section."

They found Roger sitting at a large reading table, surrounded by stacks of books about as high as Elsa herself, clearly looking for something specific in one of the tomes. "What in heaven's name is going on here?" he asked upon finding his three children and Elsa standing before him.

Ariel quickly explained everything that had happened, detailing how she had come over to visit and how Patrick had attempted to attack Elsa when he thought she was alone. Halfway during the conversation, Elsa heard a low, growling sound coming from Anna's throat. Knowing that her temper would do little good in the current situation, she gently placed her hand in the small of her back.

"You should be ashamed of yourself, Patrick," Roger sighed when Ariel had finished her explanation.

"Father, I just-"

"Silence!" Roger commanded, his eyes a fiery red and his fangs extended. Patrick seemed to collapse into himself as his jaws snapped shut, and Elsa could not blame him. Even though the anger of the ancient vampire was not directed at herself, she still felt mildly frightened by the usually gentle-spoken patriarch.

"Roger, dear, what's going on?" Sara's voice came from behind them. Her husband sent her a single, meaningful glance, after which his wife nodded knowingly. "I see. Ariel, sweetheart, please let go of your brother now. Elsa nor Anna are in any danger right now."

Ariel did as she was asked, taking a step away from her brother for good measure. Sara, meanwhile, took her place besides her husband, who took a deep breath and tucked his fangs away again. "Patrick… I'm disappointed in you. You disobeyed a direct command from me, you went behind our backs in an attempt to hurt your sister, and you attempted to attack an innocent human. I should send you to the proper authorities to be sentenced… but I won't."

There was a long silence, during which no one seemingly felt the need to say anything, until Sara picked up where her husband left off. "Patrick, my son… While it pains me to say this, you have brought it upon yourself. We haven't have had to punish a vampire from our family in generations, but we must do as we see fit."

"Mother, what are you planning to-"

"Shut up," Sara groused with a single glare. "Meet Louis out front in thirty minutes. You won't have to bring anything. Your brother, being the responsible adult he is, will see your sentence carried out."

"Won't you at least tell me what my sentence is?" Patrick asked, his voice now whiny.

"Suffice to say you will not be attending Moonfeast this year. Now go and take care of your affairs. You won't be able to for the next three months."

As soon as he left the library, Roger and Sara turned their attention to Elsa, Anna, and Ariel. "Elsa, dear, are you quite alright?"

The blonde nodded. "A little shaken up, but otherwise fine. He didn't lay a finger on me."

"Good, good. I'm terribly sorry you've had to witness this whole affair. I promise you it will not happen again. Also, I'd like to apologise on my son's behalf, since it is painfully clear that he will not do so himself. His behaviour towards you was – is – unacceptable. Anna, that apology extends towards you as well."

They both nodded, knowing that no one had wanted any of this to happen.

"Ariel, love. Thank you for being there. I imagine it was not entirely coincidental, and thus you've undermined my command as well, having not ignored last night's events. But, seeing as you did not do so outright, and only with the very best of intentions, we shall pretend it did not happen. Without you, we might well have lost Elsa, who we very much consider to be a part of our family."

Ariel nodded demurely.

"Now, if you do not mind, we have some arrangements to make. Anna, Elsa, you should probably head home and get some rest. Ariel, I'd like you to be present at the sentencing."

The journey home was a quiet one, only interrupted with Anna's occasional apologies, going on about how she should have been there to protect Elsa, and how she should have taken her worries more seriously.

"Really, Anna. It's alright. It wasn't your fault, and no one got hurt in the end, right? Please, stop apologising."

The redhead nodded, opening the door of the apartment. "Okay. What do you want to do now?"

Elsa smiled weakly. "I just want to drag you off to bed, curl up into your side and sleep this day away."

Anna gave her a happy grin in return. "That, m'lady, we can arrange."


	9. Chapter 9

**Merry Christmas, everyone! Okay, short confession: I'm a total Christmas-freak. I love everything that has to do with Christmas. And it is my personal belief that everyone should try and do something for those around them and dear to them. And, despite the fact I don't know a single one of you by name (okay, that's a lie, I know a few of you by name, but shush), you are all very dear to me. **

**Over the past year, you have all showered me with appreciation, support, gratefulness and kindness. As a little 'thank you,' I've decided to update all of my stories simultaneously as a small Christmas gift to y'all. Enjoy your holidays, you awesome people, and y'all will hear more from me in 2016! ;)**

* * *

It was a peculiar sensation, Anna wondered. She wasn't used to waking up before others. Least of all waking up before _Elsa_, who seemed to be as much as morning-person as Anna was a night-person. So, being wide awake at seven in the morning, while the blonde was still peacefully sleeping besides her, was quite peculiar indeed.

This was, she mused to herself, the first time she woke up before Elsa did. Well… that was not entirely true, she corrected, outwardly cringing at the memory. But really, that first night didn't count, right? They weren't dating, she'd just told Elsa she was a vampire, and she hadn't even _wanted_ to leave. It just seemed… more sensible than sticking around for the awkward morning after hysteria.

She idly wrapped a lock of Elsa's brilliantly white hair around her finger. No, that first time certainly didn't count. They had even agreed never to talk about that night anymore, because Elsa knew how guilty Anna still felt about leaving unannounced like that. And even if she were totally right to feel guilty, Elsa would do whatever she could to make it so that she wouldn't.

Because she was a good person like that.

She smiled to herself while Elsa swatted at her hand, still fast asleep and apparently a tiny bit grumpy. It was adorable, Anna thought, and after giving the blonde a short reprieve, she was quick to start scratching her scalp, which seemed to be alright.

Elsa murmured something unintelligible in her sleep, cuddling closer to Anna in the process. Taking advantage of the position she now found herself in, the redhead started placing soft, gentle kisses along Elsa's hairline, hand still tangled in the blonde tresses and gently scratching her scalp.

For a moment, it appeared the blonde was appreciating all the love showered upon her, consciously or not. After a while, though, she started scrunching her face up – making her even more adorable – before turning her back on the redhead.

Anna wasn't one to be discouraged easily, though, and anyone who knew her could attest to that. Sidling up to the blonde from behind, she firmly wrapped her arm around her girlfriend's waist, pressing herself close as she nuzzled into the blonde's neck, face covered by the long tresses.

And she was perfectly content to stay that way forever. At least, if 'forever' did not take longer than thirty minutes. Because by that time, Anna was positively itching to kiss Elsa, and she was relatively certain that the blonde was, at the very least, half-awake. Pushing herself up with one arm, she gently hovered above the blonde, before pressing a series of pecks against her cheek.

She was only slightly surprised when Elsa groaned and pushed her away softly. "Anna, I'm trying to sleep here…" she groused, voice still heavy with sleep.

"But the sun is out, and I'm awake!" Anna prodded, gently poking Elsa's sides and pouting when the blonde's reaction turned out to be less than satisfactory.

"Anna, you hate the sun. Go back to sleep," the blonde's muffled reply came, having buried her face into her pillow.

"But I'm wide awake, Els. And you're awake too! Let's get up and go _do_ something. Oh, maybe we can go and do some shopping today? It's looking to be quite cloudy, so I can do whatever you want!"

"What I _want_," Elsa grumbled, lifting her head slightly, "is to sleep."

When Elsa lowered her head again, clearly not having any intention to get up whatsoever, Anna resorted to placing kisses along the shell of her ear, eventually moving down her neck and towards her shoulder. Her trail was abruptly cut off, however, when Elsa pulled the blanket over her head, curling up into a little ball underneath it.

Instead of giving up and leaving Elsa alone, the redhead crawled on top of the piled blanket, firmly wrapping her arms around the blonde's covered form and nuzzling into her neck – or rather: into what she assumed would be her neck.

There was a very muffled sound from underneath the blankets – most likely a complaint or a request for Anna to get off of her – but the redhead just smiled a little wider, wrapping her arms around the huddled form a little tighter and lifting it up. Rather than a sound of chagrin, this caused a surprised yelp.

"Come on, Elsa! It's such a beautiful day. Why waste it by lying in bed?"

"I can't believe I'm hearing _you_ say that, of all people," Elsa groused, still covered by the blankets. "What's got you so cheerful this morning anyway? Normally I practically have to drag you out of bed in the mid-afternoon…"

"I just love you so much!" Anna replied instantly, voice choked with sincerity.

For a short moment, the bundle in her arms was entirely motionless, after which it began to wiggle around slightly. It took several seconds, but eventually Elsa's head popped out from under an opening in the covers, looking at her with sleep-lidded eyes and mussed hair.

"I love you too, Anna," she murmured, the emotion clearly visible in her eyes. They spent a few moments just staring at each other, after which Elsa's lips seemed to twitch into the slightest of smiles, before her frown overtook her face again. "Now put me down so I can go back to sleep…"

Rather than oblige with the request, which, Anna was almost certain, was made in jest more than in earnest, Anna hugged Elsa even closer to her chest, getting to her feet and casually carrying the bundle across the room. "You know I can't do that, Elsa. I need to shower you with my love!" she laughed happily.

Carrying her girlfriend to the living room, Anna sloppily plopped down on the couch, making sure not to jostle the blonde too much. After a few minutes of silence, Elsa poked her head out of the covers again, nuzzling it into the crook of Anna's neck. "Fine, if I can't go back to bed, I'll just stay here for a while," she muttered, clearly trying to prevent her smile from appearing on her face. "We all have to make sacrifices, right?"

"How very noble of you," Anna chuckled, struggling to get her arms inside Elsa's blanket so she could properly hold her girlfriend. Eventually, she managed, wrapping her arms around the blonde's shoulders and pressing her to herself firmly, hooking the leg that she didn't use to keep herself from slipping off the couch behind one of the blonde's knees. "Now I can't let you leave anymore, of course. I'm sure you understand."

Elsa hummed softly. "I don't think I have much to complain about," she muttered, snuggling up closer to the redhead, who merely hummed appreciatively. "In due time, however, I do think I'd like some breakfast."

"Not right now, though," the redhead objected, running her hands over her girlfriend's bare back. "This is too nice to spoil with food."

She felt Elsa chuckle against her neck. "Who are you and what did you do to my girlfriend?"

"Hey, Elsa…" Anna said, voice suddenly serious enough to cause the blonde to turn her head and face her. "I really love you… I wasn't joking before."

The blonde's content smile was swiftly replaced by a wider one. "I know. Neither was I."

Despite Anna's insistence of getting up and doing something together, she was actually entirely content just hanging on the couch with Elsa half-atop her. And for all Elsa's insistence to return to bed, she seemed awfully comfortable using Anna in its stead.

Eventually, not long before noon, their stomachs told them that it was really about time to cut their cuddling short. Elsa reluctantly disentangled herself from Anna and made to walk to the kitchen. Anna felt a strange pull in her tummy as the blonde walked away, spurting her to jump off the couch, take two large steps and easily slide her hand into the blonde's.

At the raised eyebrow she got in response, she merely gave a shy shrug. "I'll help?"

Elsa gave her a small smile in return. "Well, come on then."

Under normal circumstances, Elsa would be the one to make breakfast. And, quite frankly, this morning was no different in that regard. Today, however, she got frequent kisses on her cheek as she turned one way or another, and any time she stood at the counter for a while, Anna would rest her head on her shoulder and wrap her arms around her, tightly hugging her from behind.

"So, care to tell me what this morning was all about?" Elsa asked when they were finally seated at the table, breakfast in betwixt them.

"I'm just really happy with the way my life is turning out," Anna grinned. "Great girlfriend, living together. Made up with my parents… And I don't have to worry about my douchebag brother anymore. There was a time I didn't think I'd have any of this… Before I met you."

She noticed Elsa swallowing heavily before she responded. "It's funny you should say that… I always considered myself to be the lucky one of us two…"

* * *

"Um. Elsa, are you sure about this?" Anna asked, hesitantly eyeing the little shop, filled to the brim with women of varying ages. Honestly, it looked like one of those scenes from bad Christmas movies, where all the women went shopping at the same time and ended up bashing each other half to death.

Okay, sure, she was a vampire and she could probably take all of them on at the same time and get away without as much as a scratch. But she would really rather not. Vampire society wouldn't take lightly to that, and besides… Elsa might get hurt.

"Anna, you said we needed dresses for Moonfeast. This is the best place in town. Trust me…"

"I _do_ trust you… I'm just thinking that we could maybe go to the second-best place in town if there are less people there. That's all."

"Oh, come on, Anna. It's not _that_ bad."

"It really is," the redhead winced. "But let's get it over with anyway."

And, to be entirely fair, it was even worse inside than Anna had imagined. Women were literally fighting over some of the dresses, standing near the racks and squabbling loudly. Some of them were literally pulling on either side of a dress, some of the shopkeepers quickly interfering to keep them from ripping the garments apart.

Elsa manoeuvred through the throngs of people remarkably easily, Anna following behind her clumsily, making sure not to get hit in the face. Eventually, the blonde led her to the back, where an aged woman was looking over the chaos.

"Good day today, isn't it?" the blonde smiled.

"Elsa, dear! How marvellous to see you again. Here on a social call, or are you actually perusing my merchandise?"

"We both need dresses for a formal occasion. I'm thinking my girlfriend will probably need matching shoes and jewellery as well…"

"Girlfriend? Oh my, yes, indeed. What a beauty she is!" the woman smiled, cradling Anna's face in her hands and turning her head left and right. "Very well done indeed, Elsa. Got yourself a real princess!"

There were some more pleasantries exchanged before the lady turned towards Elsa again. "I'm guessing you know exactly what you want, as usual?"

"Something blue," Elsa nodded. "Navy blue, perhaps. I have shoes and jewellery to go with that color. Besides that, I'll trust in your good judgment."

"And the little lady?"

Elsa looked at Anna for a moment, her smile growing mischievous. "You get to go wild for a change, Ursula. Do what you do best."

Anna barely had time to make an objection before she was whisked away, vampiric super-powers notwithstanding. It looked like this woman – Ursula, Elsa had called her – was a woman with a mission, and Anna doubted anything would keep her from doing what she felt needed to be done.

It was remarkable how everyone in the little shop seemed to respect the owner, moving aside as the woman charged through the aisles. Before she knew what was going on, Anna was pushed into a dressing room, several dresses being handed to her, with the prompt order to try each and everyone one of them on.

She was astounded at the amount of different colors she encountered – who knew there were this many different variations on green? – as well as the different models. She tried with straps over the shoulders, straps around her neck, strapless. She tried long dresses, short dresses, mid-length dresses. Evening gowns, cocktail dresses, and sundresses.

And worst of all, this was _really_ not Anna's sort of thing. For all previous formal events, her attire had been arranged by either her mother or one of her sisters. She'd never actually had to _go_ and _fit_ a dress. It was just always… taken care of.

And now here she was, trying on dress number twenty-eight. It was a long, emerald green dress with a strap over her right shoulder. As had become by now a routine, she pulled the curtain aside once she was dressed, ready for Ursula to tell her that, no, alas, this was also not the right one.

"That's the one," Elsa's clear voice cut through the rumouring. Anna turned her head to look down the aisle, watching Elsa – shopping bag in hand – walking over.

Ursula hummed something under her breath, which sounded like 'I'm not sure, dear.' Elsa, however, seemed eerily determined. "Trust me, this is the one. We'll take it."

Shoes and accessories were, thankfully, a much easier affair now that the dress had been decided upon. Only forty-five minutes later, they finally stood outside again, being able to properly breathe. "Elsa. I swear I love you as much as any living being can love another, but please, please, never do that to me again," Anna sighed, slumping her shoulders exaggeratedly.

"Oh, come on you big child, it wasn't so bad. At least you'll have a stunning dress for Moonfeast."

"I still think it's unfair you got to see mine, but I didn't even catch a glimpse of yours!"

Elsa smiled deviously. "Not to worry. I'm sure you'll see plenty of it when it's time to actually wear it," she grinned with a wink, causing Anna to huff.

"So, are we going home now?"

"Yes," Elsa smiled in return. "I just have to make one more stop on our way back, if you don't terribly mind."

"Is it a dress shop?"

"No, Anna, it's _not_ a dress shop."

"Then I will allow this stop to take place."

The stop in question was an extremely small, shoddy, squalid-looking store that one would entirely miss if they didn't know exactly where to look. Anna sure walked straight past it, only turning back when she felt Elsa pulling on her arm. Once inside, Anna felt like she had walked into an entirely different world. One she didn't much care about.

One filled to the brim with books.

"Ah, Elsa! Long time no see!" a voice rang from behind the counter, where a middle-aged man sat reading a book of his own.

"Hello, Mr. Shepard," Elsa smiled amiably. "How is business?"

"Same old, same old," the man smiled. "Still, we cannot complain. I assume you'll be browsing our shelves for a while?"

"Actually," Elsa started, wavering for a short moment before making a decision. "I was wondering whether that first-edition Pride &amp; Prejudice was still here?"

The man immediately lighted up. "Ah, want to show your friend one of the classics, hm? Very well. It hasn't been sold yet, of course. People don't appreciate the finer things in life like they used to."

He took a cardboard box from underneath the counter, placing it on top of it and carefully opening it. Anna looked inside because that was apparently expected of her, and saw exactly what she expected. A book.

Okay, sure, it was an _old_ book with a fancier cover than most of the books Anna had seen. But it was still just a book. And it looked positively dusty. And boring.

"I want to buy it, I think," Elsa suddenly said.

"Really?" the merchant asked, eyebrows rising into his hairline. "Quite unexpected. A while back you decided not to… what changed?"

"It's not for myself," Elsa shrugged. "I know a collector who lost his first-edition in an accident. I'd like to replace it for him."

"I see," the man nodded gravely. "Must be a lucky lad. Boyfriend, perhaps?"

Anna and Elsa both snickered, not paying attention to the man's confusion. "Not exactly," Elsa eventually responded. "He's a little too… old."

"Ah, well. It's none of my business, regardless. I assume you would like the book gift-wrapped?"

"Oh, yes please."

When Elsa and the merchant eventually got round to the financial aspect of the transaction, Anna felt like she might faint, die, be re-incarnated, faint, and then die again. She didn't even _know_ there were books that cost _that_ much.

Outside, she tried to sputter some objection to Elsa's ridiculous spending habits on gifts – she had also paid for Anna's dress – but the blonde merely waved her objections away. During the short walk home, Anna tried several more times – because really, this was ridiculous – but Elsa kept insisting she didn't want to hear it.

So, eventually, Anna dropped it. It wasn't her money, after all.

"Finally! We're home!" Anna cheered as the elevator doors opened and they stepped into the corridor. Rounding the corner to Elsa's apartment, however, revealed an unexpected surprise. There was a redhead sitting in front of their door, back against the front door and legs spread out in front of her.

"Ariel, what are you doing here?" Anna asked, fishing around for her keys and moving to open the door.

"Oh, hey guys! Yeah, no, Anna… You probably better not go inside right now…"

For a moment, everyone just stared at each other, until the silence was disrupted by the sound of a hammer coming from inside the apartment, soon followed by sounds of other machinery as well.

"They're fixing the place up, aren't they?" Elsa asked with an amused smirk.

Ariel nodded swiftly, taking the bags from their hands. "Yes. I felt really guilty about the damage, and dad offered to pay for the repairs, so I harassed this company downtown until they sent some workers here straight away…"

"Harassed…?" Anna asked warily.

Ariel shrugged with a little smile. "There might have been some winking and flirting involved. Can't deny or confirm that, though. Now, give me a sec to place your bags inside, and we'll go and have coffee in that quaint little place around the corner, okay?"

It soon became clear that it hadn't been an actual question, and that neither Elsa nor Anna actually had that much choice in the matter. Ariel just came out of their apartment again, hooked their arms together, and marched down the corridor, into the elevator, out of the building, down the street, and into the little coffee shop they found around the corner.

Once they were all seated and equipped with their drinks of choice, Ariel smiled lazily. "So, what have you two been up to all day?"

"We got ourselves some dresses for Moonfeast," Anna grimaced. "And Elsa spent a ri-di-cu-lous amount of money on a gift for Father."

"Really?" Ariel asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"First edition Pride &amp; Prejudice," Anna whispered conspiratorially, causing Ariel to whistle.

"That can't have been cheap."

Elsa merely shrugged as if it hadn't really occurred to her.

"Father will be absolutely ecstatic, though. Like, you'll immediately be his favourite daughter. Forget about me. Forget about Anna. Forget about all of us. You'll be on the top of the charts forever more."

"And you?" Anna asked cautiously. "What've you been up to?"

Ariel shrugged. "Been digging through the library with Father and Mother for most of the night and morning. I think I touched more books in a few hours than Father had me read during my entire studies."

"Is he…?"

"He's looking into your little… incident, yes," Ariel answered carefully. "And _I_ am really _not_ supposed to be talking about this."

"Did you find anything yet?" Anna asked eagerly, noticing that Elsa also leant forward.

"_I_ didn't," Ariel replied. "Father might have, I think. Not long before I left, he suddenly started whispering with Mother. I caught a few words… but like I said, I shouldn't talk about this. And if Father found something, I'm sure you two will be among the first to know. He has no reason not to tell you after all…"

"Can you at least tell me which words you caught?" Anna huffed, half-hopeful and half-annoyed.

"Anna, you know I can't. I really don't want to end up like Patrick…"

"What happened to him anyway?" Elsa asked, genuinely curious.

"Father, Louis and I buried him in the Glendale Forest. Mother decided he'll stay there for three months. Longer if he doesn't apologize."

Anna noticed Elsa had her mouth hanging open, gently pushing it closed with one of her hands. "I… I thought you said your family didn't do that, Anna?" the blonde asked pointedly.

"They haven't for as long as I've been alive," Anna replied. "Normally when one of us is punished we just get grounded. In the normal sense of the word. Like, not being allowed to leave your room. This is the first I hear of any of us being buried."

"Mother had Erin buried back in 1821," Ariel mused out loud. "Or was it 1822?"

"Wait, why doesn't he just… escape?"

"He can't," Ariel explained. "There aren't a lot of places where you can bury a vampire without them being able to escape. Patrick's buried in the middle of a triangle formed by an Elder tree, a Hazel tree and an Ash tree. It robs him of his powers, but grants him enough life-force to survive without feeding… Only barely, though…"

"Trees?" Elsa asked, sounding more sceptical than ever.

"Yes," Ariel chirped. "A lot of different trees have different influences on vampires if exposed to them long enough. I'm sure Father has a book on it, if you're interested…"

"I think I'll pass," Elsa muttered dryly.

"Father was so very cross, though," Ariel mused, apparently more to herself than to Anna or Elsa. "Haven't seen him that angry since… well, I don't think since we left France during the Revolution. Kept muttering about the future of our race, and how Patrick had run amok of it all. Honestly, I don't think he was making a lot of sense… Maybe I'm just too young, though. Louis seemed to understand it better."

"Too young? You're over three-hundred years old…" Elsa remarked, tone still dry as a bone.

"Thanks for reminding me, gorgeous," Ariel smiled. The _ding_ from her phone distracted her from any further reply. "Oh, would you look at that? The men in your apartment are done. And speaking of _gorgeous_, I have an appointment with my Thrall. We also need to go dress-shopping."

They quickly said their goodbyes, Ariel being in somewhat of a hurry due to having lost track of time. When they returned to their apartment, they found their shopping bags next to the couch, the entire room looking as if the confrontation with Patrick had never happened.

"They even managed to fix the coffee table," Anna muttered, expression clearly indicating she was impressed. "Now, is there any chance I'll get to see that dress of yours now?"

* * *

After a long and active day, there was no better way to relax than to sit down in a lazy, comfortable chair, and read a good book. This had long been a known fact to Elsa. She was halfway through the novel she was currently reading – a story about a common farming girl getting tangled up in a magical war and ending up married to the queen of her kingdom.

Anna, of course, had an entirely different take on relaxation, being draped across the couch in the laziest possible way, watching some mindless comedy on the television with the volume higher than technically necessary. Still, the bouts of giggling were adorable, so Elsa didn't really mind.

She had, however, noticed that Anna's laughter had become less frequent. And each time she allowed her eyes to flick to her girlfriend, she found her looking a little more distracted, and a little more worried. She had half a mind to ask what was on her mind, but experience had taught her that it was probably best to let Anna come to her, first.

Which is why she was not at all surprised when the redhead suddenly turned the television off and sat up straight, turning towards her. "Elsa, can I ask you something?"

She placed her bookmark in between the pages – people who folded the corners were monsters – closed the book, and looked up at the anxious redhead. "Of course."

"I… Um, I was thinking… I'd… Ugh. What I mean to ask is if… If it's not too much trouble, we could… I just… Um… Maybe… I'm doing this all wrong. Let me try again. I was just wondering if… Er… What I'm saying is that I… I would really like to… Um… To feed off you? I mean, I'd like to… bite you… If that's okay with you?"

Elsa practically felt herself turning into a puddle of goo at Anna's adorable, awkward antics, as well as the fact that they had, apparently, reached the point in their relationship where Anna felt confident enough to approach Elsa when she needed to feed.

"Of course, Anna. Shall we take a shower?" she replied instantly, making sure that even anxious Anna wouldn't find a trace of hesitation. The redhead nodded, but was slow to actually get off the couch and follow Elsa, spurring her to grab her hand and pull her along.

"I hadn't thought you would need to feed again yet," Elsa remarked as they walked towards the bathroom. "Normally, a feeding session keeps you going at least a week, right? Then again, we had a long day today, so it's only natural that you'd need to, I suppose."

She knew something was wrong the moment the words left her lips, feeling Anna's hand stiffen in her own, and the redhead coming to an abrupt halt behind her.

"I don't," Anna muttered, barely audible. "I… don't actually need to feed. I just… wanted to. I'm sorry, I shouldn't even have asked. I just thought… well, you said it didn't hurt, and that you didn't mind." The redhead shrugged, trying to play it off as no big deal, but Elsa could see the hurt and sadness in her eyes. Feelings that were absolutely not meant to be there.

Despite the entire situation, however, she felt the corners of her mouth rising up in a face-splitting smile. Because Anna had just asked her if she could feed _because she wanted to_. While Anna approaching her for a necessary feeding-session was a big step in the right direction, this was actually more of a gigantic leap.

"Anna, calm down!" she laughed freely. "I didn't mean to imply you couldn't bite me. Because you totally can."

The redhead immediately perked up again, hurt making way for hope. "Really? You don't think I'm being… needy or egoistic?"

"Honestly, Anna… You just asking me this… Asking me if you can bite me just because you want to, and not because you need to… It's the only thing that could have made this day better than it already was."

Seeing that the redhead needed just a tad more convincing, she pulled on the hand she was still holding, immediately capturing the redhead's lips with her own. They somehow managed to get into the bathroom, leaving a meandering trail of clothing throughout the apartment.

By the time Anna pressed Elsa against the cold tiles of the bathroom wall, her fangs were clearly visible between parted lips, both women breathing heavily as their eyes roamed across each other's bodies.

There was a moment of tension between the two women, the air feeling as if it were positive with electricity, making the hairs on their arms stand on end. Finally, Elsa couldn't take it anymore.

"Bite me, Anna…" she rasped, voice low and sultry. She wasn't surprised – and only a tiny bit disappointed – when Anna conceded to her request by leaving a trail of kisses down her body, eventually ending on the inside of her thigh as cold fingers ran through her wet folds.

But she knew that Anna would eventually bite her neck. This was already such a giant leap forward that Elsa could not find it in herself to mind. As she felt the now-familiar sting of Anna's fangs piercing her flesh, fingers still exploring eagerly, she rested her head back against the wall, her moans reverberating from the cold tiles.


	10. Chapter 10

**I never thought I'd become one of 'those' authors, that only update once every few months. I'm deeply ashamed of myself, and truly verily really sorry. I hope this chapter makes up for it a little. It's super long, because Moonfeast is here. Mind you, I wrote it in one go, and if you're reading this the day after publishing, it might be riddled with errors. It's 3.30 am right now, and I wrote this entire thing in one go, and I'm practically snoozing on my laptop at this point. I'll fix all mistakes tomorrow, pinky-promise.**

* * *

**Please enjoy! **

This is simply nerve-wracking, Elsa thought. And that was something the blonde did not think very often. And especially not in relation to social gatherings. She wasn't a social butterfly, really, but she'd never been uncomfortable in crowds, whether they be small or large.

But there was a simple reason this time was different. All the other times, she had known exactly what to expect. Going to a bar meant a relatively compact crowd, a bit rowdy but mostly minding their own business and companions. Going to a club? A lot of noise and a massive crowd, dancing and bumping up to you, trying to buy you drinks and hoping to make out with you in the corner. All strangers, no one she particularly needed to impress or worry about. Family gatherings? Those were usually quiet and timid affairs, her relatives gathering in some far-off place – because her family really did live all over the world – and spending quality time with each other. They were her family, always were and always would be, and thus there was never really any need to be worried about what they thought of her.

A gathering of vampires gathered from all over the world? Well... that was a little more complicated, she figured. She wouldn't know anyone there – apart from Anna, a scant few of her relatives, and Hans, whom she had met twice. And, knowing how large the Borges manor was, it would be doubtful whether she could even find any of those.

Discounting Anna, of course, who had promised not to leave her side… Then again, knowing the redhead, she'd get so excited from seeing a long-lost friend that she'd dash off with her superhuman speed and only remember she lost her blonde companion a few minutes later.

And yeah, sure, she had been assured multiple times that no one would get any funny ideas and suddenly bite down on her neck or anything. Vampires were a respectful bunch of people. She knew that. Anna had told her, and so had her parents. And the books she'd been reading certainly confirmed it. Vampires weren't the monsters media made them out to be.

But really, if Elsa was already making this much of a fuss over it inside her mind, at four in the morning, Anna still sleeping soundly besides her… Then how was she ever going to get through tonight?

And really, it was _nothing_ like her to be stressing out this much over something so trivial. That is, if you could consider a gathering of vampires to be trivial. Oh, how much her life had changed over the past few months… That thought managed to bring a smile to her face, which only grew wider as she shifted her attention to the sleeping redhead beside her.

She was quite the adorable little thing, murmuring and muttering in her sleep, a small smile playing around her lips, and sighing happily as she cuddled up to Elsa's side, arm possessively wrapped across her stomach, hand resting on her hip and squeezing intermittently.

As the blonde usually woke up earlier than her girlfriend, this had become somewhat of a soothing morning ritual for her, watching Anna slowly rising up from the deep slumber that possessed her at night. It was as if the redhead's relaxed aura rubbed off on her, or something like that. Was that even possible?

Probably not. And just that was all she needed to revert back to her worrying state of mind. What if the rest of Anna's family didn't like her? What if the other vampires didn't like her? How many humans would there even be, besides her?

"You're worrying too much," the redhead groaned from beside her, one eye cracked open and looking terribly dreadful – as she always did, in the morning. "You'll get wrinkles and I really prefer you without wrinkles."

Elsa sighed, but brought a smile to her face nonetheless. "Well, there's an easy way to make sure I don't get wrinkles," she said in a sing-song fashion.

Anna crinkled her nose in distaste, drawing her upper lip up in an adorable snarl-like motion. "Elsa-"

"I was joking, Anna," the blonde sighed, rubbing a smudge of left-over make-up from Anna's cheek. "Now is not the time to have _that_ discussion."

For a moment, Anna smiled broadly, before her face turned serious again, eyes narrowing suspiciously. "That insinuates that there is another discussion we need to have, Elsa."

"Yes. We need to decide what we're having for breakfast," the blonde grinned in response.

Anna chuckled, easing her head back onto her pillow. "It's too early for breakfast, Elsa. No sane person eats breakfast at this time."

"Anna, it's almost eleven. If we wait much longer, it will be too late to still call it a breakfast."

"Fine by me," the redhead chimed, burying her face into the crook of Elsa's neck and wrapping her arm around her stomach again. "Also, there's no discussion to be had. You're making me pancakes for breakfast."

"Oh, am I now?" Elsa scoffed playfully.

She received the answer to her question when Anna unburied her face and looked at Elsa with large eyes and a pout. Yes. Yes, she absolutely was.

"Fine. Pancakes it is, then."

Anna smiled widely, laying her head down again and running her nose along the side of Elsa's neck. "I knew you would come to see things my way."

* * *

As it turned out, breakfast wasn't until around half past one in the afternoon. Normally, Elsa would really not have been okay with that. But, honestly, she couldn't consider a morning and early afternoon spent cuddling with Anna as wasted. Especially if the redhead was in such a good mood because of it.

"Urgh," Anna groaned from across the table, clutching her stomach. "Those were amazing. You are amazing."

"I know, but thanks anyway," the blonde smirked as she collected the plates and rinsed them off. "I always aim to please."

Getting no response from the redhead, Elsa turned around to find her leaning back in her chair, hands behind her head and feet resting on the table, pleased smile on her face as she seemed to be staring at the ceiling. "Are you… okay?"

"That's a silly question," Anna replied, eyes now closing as the smile never left her face. "I'm just enjoying the moment. Living with my girlfriend, who is an amazing cook and really dotes on me. Not having a single worry. Not having to do anything right now, and just being able to relax. I'm peachy."

"I'm glad you're so happy," Elsa smiled genuinely, before biting her lower lip. "So… what's the plan for today?"

Anna hummed thoughtfully for a moment. "Well, father expects us to be over around seven. Moonfeast doesn't start until nine, but he likes having the family around a little earlier just to make sure we actually get to talk to each other. You'll meet a lot of siblings you've never seen before… Should be fun."

"Mhm," Elsa murmured, waiting for the rest.

"We'll probably need like, an hour or so to prepare, right? Hair, make-up, getting dressed, staring at each other while trying to make it seem like we're not doing that…" the redhead continued with a smirk.

"Yes, quite. Maybe even two," the blonde nodded seriously. "Anything else?"

"Um," the redhead muttered, suddenly looking away. "Nope. Don't think so."

"Anna, you really are the worst liar I've ever encountered. It's a wonder you haven't single-handedly revealed the existence of your race to the entire world," Elsa snickered, gently patting the redhead's hair.

"Hey! I take offense to that!" Anna pouted. "Mother used to say the same, though… So there might be some truth in it."

"Well, for what it's worth, I think you being a poor liar is great," Elsa murmured as she nuzzled into Anna's hair, taking in the smell. "I do want you to tell me what you didn't tell me just now, though."

"Right. Well… Heh, this is a bit awkward…"

"It's just me, Anna. I don't think it can get more awkward than revealing you're a vampire while having sex. Or can it?"

"No… It's just… It's sort of customary for vampires to feed before Moonfeast, y'know. So that everyone is at their best?"

Elsa pulled back, raising a dainty eyebrow and smirking. "Since when, Anna, do you feel awkward about asking for sex?"

Anna grimaced. "I don't… I feel awkward about asking for biting permission…" she mumbled, looking adorable with the blush covering her cheeks.

"Right," Elsa said with a simple nod. "Maybe you should just stop asking for permission, then? I mean… You know I don't mind. Heck, I actually quite enjoy it, to be honest… Even though I never thought I'd say that. Anyhow, I really think you should just accept that it's part of our dynamic… Maybe that will make it a little less awkward for the both of us," she finished with a gentle smile and a caress of the redhead's cheek.

"Are you sure?" Anna asked, eyes clearly revealing her reservations. "I can't imagine anyone enjoying a random biting without a little warning in advance."

Elsa smirked down at her. "Well, I imagine you've never been bitten. Yeah, I'm sure. Just consider me your…"

"Personal chewy toy?"

"Okay, refer to me like that again, and we're getting a divorce," Elsa groused, playfully swatting Anna's shoulder.

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry. But, honestly Elsa, thanks. I'll um… I'll keep it in mind."

Sending Anna a happy, genuine smile, Elsa returned to the kitchen counter and resumed the washing of the dishes. Anna's contented humming in the background was a good indicator as to how good their conversation had actually turned out…

* * *

A few hours later, Elsa discovered that reading seemed to be the only thing that kept her mind from worrying itself to bits about the night ahead of them. She'd stacked a pile of books in front of her, intent to keep reading until something else came up to keep her mind occupied.

As it turned out, she didn't get to read very long.

The redhead that unceremoniously settled herself in her lap – on top of the book she was trying to read – was a bit of a hindrance. A very welcome one, of course. But a bit of a hindrance nonetheless.

Before she could ask what it was that Anna wanted, she felt soft lips interlocking with her own, drawing a sudden and slightly unexpected moan from her throat. As Anna lifted her cute butt just the tiniest bit, Elsa managed to work the book out from underneath her, placing it to the side so it would not get damaged, before turning her full attention onto the redhead, tangling one hand in her fiery mane, and using the other to cup the aforementioned cute butt.

The redhead released an appreciative murmur, her tongue easily slipping into Elsa's mouth and exploring deftly. Meanwhile, her hands were already tugging at the hem of her shirt, attempting to lift it up. Elsa decided to move forward a little and help the redhead in her endeavour, their kiss only ending for the briefest of moments before the redhead reconnected their mouths.

Within moments, the redhead had also unfastened Elsa's bra, wriggling the offending garment out of the way and tossing it across the room haphazardly, really not caring one bit as to where it landed. When they moved apart again, partly to breath and partly so Anna could remove her own shirt, Elsa smirked.

"You're… enthusiastic…"

"Yeah," Anna breathed. "I'm sure you don't mind."

"You're right," Elsa answered. "I really don-"

She didn't get the chance to finish her sentence, Anna's mouth firmly on her own again, one hand teasingly pinching one of her nipples, and the other deftly removing the redhead's own bra.

Anna's movements grew only more feverish as the minutes dragged on, her hands switching from gentle caresses of her breast to firmly kneading them, occasionally giving a harsh but pleasurable pinch to her nipples. It seemed like an eternity until one of the redhead's hands made its way downwards, undoing the button of Elsa's jeans and sliding into her panties.

"Ow wow," Anna laughed breathily. "You're like… really wet right now."

As Anna ran her finger through her folds, Elsa couldn't stop her head from lolling backwards, her eyes fluttering closed as she released a pleasurable sigh. "Thank you, captain obvious," she muttered under her breath, as soon as Anna's finger stilled.

"Just making sure," Anna murmured seductively, breathing into Elsa's ear before sucking on her earlobe. "… that you know what I do to you."

"That's- Pretty hard to miss," Elsa moaned, voice fracturing as Anna pressed down on her clit.

As the redhead gently slid her finger into Elsa's wet core, the blonde heard the tell-tale click of Anna's fangs, and she couldn't resist a long, stretched moan as her girlfriend slid her tongue inside her mouth again, the fangs clearly discernible.

As she felt a second finger entering her, as well as an increased pressure on her clit, Elsa attempted to return some of the pleasure to her girlfriend. Before she could do anything of the sort, though, Anna slapped her hands away. "Just relax and enjoy. Worry about me later, kay?"

Feeling the pleasure already building up towards her climax, Elsa could hardly argue with that. "We're like… two hormonal teens, fucking on the couch like this."

Anna stilled her hand, grinning wickedly. "Want me to stop, then? Because that sounded like a complaint…"

"No!"

Thankfully, Anna immediately resumed her ministrations, her mouth now trailing from Elsa's ear to the side of her throat, gently sucking while making sure not to leave any hickeys that would need to be covered up later.

As she neared her orgasm, Elsa pulled Anna closer towards her, their breasts pressing together firmly while the redhead still continued working her hand and mouth at the same time.

Elsa was aware that she was being… rather vocal about her pleasure. She really didn't care about the neighbours listening in on their sex right now though. And they would certainly have heard the half-yelp, half-moan that she let out when she felt Anna's fangs sinking into the skin of her neck.

The moment it happened, Elsa also felt her orgasm washing over her, undoubtedly brought on by the sudden feeling of Anna's bite, her mind soaring at the fact that she was biting in a visible place. She was still enjoying her afterglow intensely when Anna suddenly removed her hand and mouth, jumped off her lap, took a step backwards, tumbled over the coffee table, and ended up in a heap on the floor.

Before Elsa could register the sudden change, and ask what the hell Anna thought she was doing, the redhead crawled back to her feet, taking another step backwards, looking utterly frightened.

"Shit! Fuck… Elsa, I didn't… Oh my god, dammit, I'm such an idiot! What was I thinking? Didn't I learn anything in the past twenty-one years? Way to control yourself, Anna… Now you've done it. Great, just great-"

At this point, Elsa had entirely forgotten about her orgasm – or her libido, for that matter – and was getting to her feet and moving towards Anna, making sure she was alright, and aware of the fact that Elsa was too. When she reached out her hand, though, Anna recoiled to the other end of the room – using her vampire super-speed, no less.

"Don't!" she yelped, back against the far wall. "I didn't mean to. I swear."

"Anna-"

"I know! This totally wasn't what you had in mind when you told me to be more spontaneous about the whole biting thing. I wanted to go down on you, and bite in the usual spot…"

"Really, Anna-"

"I didn't even realise I was feeding… What's up with that, right? I mean, I was totally zoning out, and that is so not cool…"

Elsa felt her heart cracking open as Anna started pacing from left to right, clearly agitated, worried, and feeling way more guilty than was needed. The blonde wouldn't deny that Anna recoiling from her was physically and emotionally painful, but she realized the redhead had never meant to bite her – which was a little saddening – and needed Elsa to comfort her now.

And that was something Elsa could do, surely?

Slowly making her way towards the still pacing redhead, Elsa raised her hands in a placating manner. "Anna, for the love of god, listen to me," she muttered crabbily, feeling confident that her tone of voice would at least catch her girlfriend's attention. And it did, the redhead suddenly stilling, and apprehensively turning towards her.

"At what point in our relationship," Elsa murmured, softly now, "did I give you the impression that I would mind the neck-biting?"

"You didn't, but-"

"Exactly," Elsa interrupted with a smile. "I think you might have noticed, but you biting me _there_ just pushed me over the edge. I was… _so_ happy that you did it. I felt loved, cherished, trusted, needed… It did more to me than I can _ever_ explain properly. I was on cloud nine, Anna. Please, please, don't beat yourself up over this… Honestly, I'm flattered that you lost your self-control for a moment. It means… It means that I have the same effect on you as you have on me…"

Anna still seemed torn between guilt and something she believed to be trust, gnawing her lower lip, fangs still visible, and a small trail of blood leading to her chin. Elsa gently stepped forward, taking one of Anna's hands in her own and cupping her face with the other, her thumb gently wiping the red fluid away, before parting the redhead's lips and carefully pushing her thumb inside.

She was happy to feel Anna's tongue lapping her thumb clean, a shy smile tugging at the girl's lips.

"Anna, you mean _so_ much to me…" the blonde whispered, nuzzling her nose against Anna's temple. "Please don't think you did something wrong. I loved… the idea that you trusted me enough to…"

"I do," Anna rasped, sinking into Elsa's embrace.

"It's okay, Anna. I know this was a mistake, and we don't have to rush anything. But… I would really like for us to continue where we left off…"

Anna pulled back slightly, and for a moment Elsa thought she'd pushed too hard. When Anna looked into her eyes, however, Elsa saw only love and devotion. That, and heavily dilated pupils. "I… I think I would like that too," she murmured, almost inaudibly and blushing profusely. "If you're sure about it, that is…"

For a moment, everything was a blur, and when her vision refocused, Elsa found herself sitting on the couch again, Anna firmly on her lap, still looking anxious and shy. "Wow. You're… fast."

Anna grinned, a glimmer of her more confident persona returning to her through it. "So I've been told…"

Running her fingers over the spot where she'd previously bitten Elsa, she bit her lower lip again, eyes clouded with worry. Elsa gently cupped her chin, pulling her in for a chaste peck – well aware that her blood was now on her own lips too, and finding that she really did not mind – to assure her girlfriend. "Go ahead, Anna. I _want_ you to…"

When Anna still seemed doubtful, Elsa gave her a grin of her own. "You should really mark your territory. Wouldn't want anyone getting ideas tonight, now would we?"

Apparently, that did the job, Anna cradling Elsa's head in her arms and moving it to the side, exposing her neck more properly, and running her tongue over the bite mark. For a moment, it looked as if Anna was going to ask a question – probably 'are you sure?' – but then she seemed to steel her resolve, scraping her fangs across the smooth surface before sinking them into her flesh.

Elsa was slightly surprised that it genuinely didn't hurt. She felt the slight sting, but it wasn't unpleasant, nor was the feeling a particularly strong one. It was immediately followed by the familiar warmth that spread from the bite mark – the same she'd felt when Anna bit her thigh, which was actually a pleasurable sensation.

Anna's tongue lapping around, sweeping away any blood that it could reach, only made the whole experience better, and Elsa couldn't supress her gigantic smile when Anna let out an audible moan, eyes closed as she fed, clearly enjoying herself. A lot.

Elsa let her hands roam, gently massaging Anna's still-bared breasts, softly playing with her nipples. These actions garnered her a shuddering breath from her girlfriend, which was enough for her not to stop her ministrations, and to gently let one hand slide down Anna's flat stomach, and into her panties. "Oh my… And you accused me of being wet?" Elsa murmured teasingly, rejoicing at the feeling of Anna chuckling against her neck.

Elsa easily slid her fingers through Anna's wet folds, alternately teasing her entrance and her clit, and it was impossible to miss Anna's moans – which were both clearly audible, and easily felt as vibrations against her neck.

The tensing in the redhead's muscles clearly indicating that it wouldn't take long for her to reach her climax, so Elsa ceased her teasing, instead using her pointer finger to firmly rub against her girlfriend's clit. Sure enough, after less than a minute, Anna's hands firmly clasped the blonde's shoulders, her fangs retracting from her neck as she arched her back.

Elsa was pretty sure that the entire apartment building knew _exactly_ what they were doing on the couch right now. If she herself had been loud before, there really wasn't any word to describe Anna.

Anna, arms now wrapped around Elsa as if she were a giant cuddly toy, slid sideways, landing the both of them in a sprawled mess onto the couch. As Anna cracked one eye open and peeked at Elsa, the blonde was astounded at the amount of love visible in those bright blue orbs. "Can we… stay like this for a while?" she heard her girlfriend whisper – almost sounding shy and childlike.

"As long as you want…" Elsa replied softly, running her fingers through fiery red hair.

There was a long, comfortable silence as the two were laying on the couch, limbs entangled, bodies flush together. After a while, Elsa was quite convinced Anna had actually fallen asleep, only to be surprised when the smaller girl suddenly opened her eyes. "Elsa… I love you."

Elsa felt her smile doubling in size as her heart seemed to be lacking room for all the emotions she was feeling right now. She tightened her hold on Anna, burying her face into her neck. "I love you too, Anna."

* * *

"Elsa!" Anna called from the living room, just as the blonde was putting the final touches to her make-up. "I never thought I'd say this, but we ruined the couch!"

The blonde smirked to herself, putting her eyeliner away and making her way towards her partner. She'd already been aware of that. There were several red stains on the white couch that would be pretty hard to explain to non-vampiric relatives, and impossible to wash out of the material.

"I know. We'll go shopping for a replacement first thing next week," Elsa smiled.

"I'm really sorry about- Whoa…" Anna suddenly fell silent as her eyes roved over Elsa, now entirely dolled up for Moonfeast. She was wearing a long, navy blue gown that showed enough cleavage to make Anna's mouth water instantly, without being inappropriate or raunchy, and left her back exposed. It also pulled a lot of attention to Elsa's hips, which Anna thought to be a nice bonus.

Elsa, already having seen Anna in her dress before, was no less impressed. The green of her dress complimented the fiery shade of her hair and her sun-kissed complexion. It hinted at cleavage, rather than actually showing much of it, but did a stellar job at accentuating Anna's narrow waist. "Yeah," Elsa responded breathily. "Whoa is right."

Anna wordlessly made her way over to Elsa, eyes focused on something Elsa couldn't quite figure out, until Anna's fingers brushed over the bite mark on her neck. She'd looked at those in the mirror for a while, giddy smile a constant on her face, and decided not to cover them up. It was barely visible as it was, and it wasn't like she wanted the most recent development in their relationship to be something they had to hide.

"They're visible," Anna murmured, clearly more to herself than to Elsa.

The blonde smiled gently, cradling the redhead's hand. "Yes, they are. I'm not ashamed of them, Anna. I'm not going to hide what we did."

Anna's eyes seemed to focus as she tore her gaze away from Elsa's neck and towards her eyes. "Actually… I like that they're visible…" she muttered sheepishly. "Which is really silly, considering I was so against this in the first place, but… I like people being able to see that… that you're mine. Is that… alright?"

Elsa gave a quick kiss to the tip of Anna's nose. "That's just perfect."

* * *

As they were walking through the halls of Borges Manor, Elsa could clearly see Anna getting fidgety. During the ride here, Anna had already admitted that she was a little nervous about her family's reaction to the bite mark, which would, undoubtedly, be noticed _immediately_. She was certain all the reactions would be positive, of course, because this had been what her family had wanted for so long. But she was still nervous.

Elsa had done her best to reassure her girlfriend, telling her that everything would be alright, and that they would face anything that would come on their paths together. It had brought a smile to Anna's face, but hadn't entirely taken the nerves away. Evidently.

There was a low din, a rumour of voices, coming from the room towards which they were walking. The servant opening the door had told them that the entire family was gathering there to catch up before Moonfeast officially started. And, being able to see into the room now, Elsa realised that Anna's family was… pretty large.

There were hundreds of people in there, and most of them were redheads. That being said, there were also brunettes, blondes, raven-haired, and even a few hairless ones casually sauntering throughout the room, making their way from group to group.

They had hardly set their first step into the room when they heard Roger's booming voice. "Well, well, look who is on time – nay, early, even – for a change! Elsa must be a remarkably good influence on you, little one!" he smiled, wrapping his daughter into a hug while his wife joined them.

The woman, wearing an elegant black dress, was already smirking at Elsa, eyes twinkling and clearly very happy. Roger released Anna, turning towards Elsa to hug her as well, but freezing halfway through the motion. His eyes were clearly trained on the two small puncture wounds on Elsa's neck. For his benefit, however, Elsa canted her head to the side, feeling unusually confident. "Care to have a better look?" she asked with a smile, earning her a chuckle from Sara Borges, and an astonished gasp from her daughter.

"Don't mind if I do," Roger responded without missing a beat, looking at her neck so closely that his nose was almost tickling her skin. Then, without warning, he pulled back, wrapped his arms around both Elsa and Anna, and lifted their feet off the ground in a bone-crushing hug.

_That_ was certainly not was Elsa had been expecting. Judging by the shocked gasp coming from beside her, Anna had been caught by surprise as well.

"Dad! This is… embarrassing. Could you… Put us down, please?"

Roger gave them both a final squeeze – which was bordering on painful, but Elsa decided not to complain – before gently lowering the two of them, clearly not having broken a sweat. "I am very proud of you. Both of you," he smiled, his eyes conveying the full sincerity behind his words as he stepped aside, allowing his wife to wrap them in a – thankfully – much more contained hug.

"I cannot tell you how happy this makes us, girls," she whispered into their ears, before letting go and stepping backwards to stand beside her husband again. "Truly."

Anna awkwardly scratched the back of her head. "Um. Thanks. It's good to see you too, I suppose," she chuckled.

Elsa stepped forward, reaching into her purse, intent on saving Anna from her own awkwardness. "Roger, Sara. I know it's customary for me to be here, since Anna is… But I still wanted to show my appreciation. Not just for tonight, but… well, for the way you've welcomed me into your family, really. It was a bit of a culture shock, but you truly went out of your way to make me feel comfortable. I cannot thank you enough for that, but I brought you a little something."

She held out the gift-wrapped box, which Roger daintily took from her hands. "Why, Elsa, you certainly didn't have to get us anything," he smiled. "That being said, I do enjoy a gift, so don't mind me opening it straight away."

Sara affectionately rolled her eyes, taking the ball of wrapping paper from her husband. There was a swoosh of wind for a moment, and Elsa suddenly found herself staring at empty space, before another gust signalled her return – now without the ball of paper.

"That's not something I'll ever get used to," Elsa muttered under her breath, smiling as Anna chuckled beside her. Then, Roger's gasp drew their attention, the box discarded on the ground, the book cradled in his hands, and the man looking at it as if it were his new-born baby. "A first edition _Pride &amp; Prejudice_? You didn't! Wherever did you find this?"

"There's a small bookstore downtown – really easy to miss. It's been there for decades, apparently, and has some real treasures hiding inside."

Roger's smile suddenly turned into a frown. "This must have cost a fortune, Elsa. I cannot possibly accept it."

"Nonsense," Elsa interrupted before he could continue. "The owner is an old friend. Besides, I won't get my money back just because you hand me the book. And… I know that a similar novel was lost to the vicious clutches of your pool at some point. Consider this a replacement."

"Are you absolutely certain, Elsa?" Sara asked, running a finger across the book's cover.

"Totally," Elsa smiled. And that was the truth. She wanted them to have this novel, as a sign of her gratitude and appreciation.

"Well then, Roger. You better put that away someplace safe," Sara smiled, nudging her husband into motion. "Before our vicious pool eats another one."

"Quite right, quite right," Roger murmured, rushing off to bring the book to his library.

Sara gave the both of them another hug, before excusing herself to deal with one of her many, many, many children. Elsa wondered how long the woman would last with her entire offspring collected around her. It had to be exhausting.

"That went well," Anna smirked at Elsa. The blonde didn't get to respond though, their attention caught by one of Anna's sisters – same height, same hair colour, same exuberant expression – they might as well have been twins.

"Anna! It's been _ages_ since I saw you. Like, when you tried to eat that tree in the backyard. Which was totes cool!"

Anna chuckled, untangling herself from the embrace. "Hey, Chloe. I see you haven't changed a bit."

"Nope," the girl said, giving them both a cheesy wink. "Sucks that you got your Stilling at the same age as I did. But hey, you'll always be the hot chick you are now!"

Anna smiled too. "Every downside has an upside. Oh, right. Um, this is my girlfriend, Elsa," she added, casually motioning at Elsa.

Chloe smiled brightly, shaking Elsa's hand. "Awes. She's a good catch!"

Anna beamed brightly. "Thanks, I like to think so myself. Hey, I heard you had a girlfriend too… Is she around?"

"Oh, totes!" Chloe beamed, and for a moment Elsa worried that the smile might grow too large to fit onto her face. Anna's sister was the very embodiment of sunshine and rainbows, apparently. "Becs, where are you hiding?"

"Dude," a grousing voice came from behind them. "I'm like, right in front of you, and you still missed me."

Elsa turned around to see a short brunette with heavy eyeliner slouching up to them, taking her place beside Chloe, who cooed at her. "It's just because you're so tiny, Becs! Anyway, Anna, Elsa, this is Rebecca. Everyone calls her Beca. I call her Becs… Becs, this is my younger sister Anna and her girlfriend, Elsa."

They shook hands, shortly after which the two were whisked away by some of Anna's other siblings, who also introduced themselves and their partners, and Elsa was already starting to feel the names slipping from her mind. Luckily, it seemed as if no one really expected her to remember all the names.

A loud squeal garnered their attention, and as they turned around, they found Ariel bounding up towards them. Rather than wrapping Anna in a hug, she swung her arms around Elsa, easily lifting her up and displacing her a few feet throughout the room. "I just heard! Everyone's talking about little Anna who finally found someone she was willing to bite!" she squealed, slightly more subdued this time.

"People are already gossiping?" Anna asked with raised eyebrows. "And we're not even amongst guests yet. Sheesh."

"Can you blame them, though?" Ariel asked, now hugging her sister. "Some of us – I mean, them – were even placing bets on if and when you would bite. I'm certain you made… _someone_ a lot of money."

"Uh-huh. That _someone_ should do something nice to thank us, then. Wait… I thought you said you were bringing your Thrall?"

Ariel nodded with a serene smile. "I am. She's just running a little late, is all. I'll be sure to introduce you later!"

"Ahem, can I have everyone's attention for a moment?" Roger called from the front of the room, and everyone quieted at a remarkably quick pace. "Thank you. We'll be moving to the ballroom in a minute, everyone seems to have arrived. Now, for the first time in nearly half a century, the Morvant family has decided to join us for Moonfeast. Please make sure to treat them properly. We wouldn't want their first time out into the open world to end… disastrously. Now, House Thorne will still have a bit of an attitude problem, don't let them bait you into a fight, like some of you did last year."

"Most importantly," Sara now continued. "We want you all to mingle and socialize. Have fun, make friends, and be sure to represent our family as best you can."

And, with those words, Sara opened the doors, leading them throughout the empty corridor, towards even larger doors, which she also opened, which revealed… more people than Elsa had ever seen gathered in one place before.

The ballroom was positively gigantic, and the doors on the far end were opened, allowing the guests to spill out into the garden as well. Which was a much needed commodity, because really, they wouldn't all fit inside, even if they would all stand nose to nose.

"I thought you said there weren't that many vampires left?" Elsa murmured under her breath. Anna chuckled nervously.

"Well, there seem to be more of them than I remembered… I mean, I'm not old enough to ever have seen anyone from House Morvant. And like, there's still vampires that have kids, or turn other vampires so yeah, maybe we grew a little."

Elsa scoffed silently. _Of course_, Anna had been… misinformed. She didn't quite know why she was even surprised at this.

Roger made a short announcement to the entire crowd – using a microphone to reach the ones standing outside as well – which was similar to the one he had held for his own family, reminding everyone to treat each other decently, welcoming them to their home, and telling them how it was an honour to have so many of them attending.

And then the crowd of redhead's split up, everyone moving in every which direction, spotting old friends with whom to get re-acquainted. Elsa herself was subtly dragged along by Anna, who somehow managed to find Hans standing near the drinks.

"Hey there, you two," he smiled with his usual charming smile. "Didn't expect to see you so soon."

"Oh, please," Anna grinned. "You're _always_ posted near the drinks. It's not even a guess anymore at this point."

Hans mock-gasped, a response clearly on the tip of his tongue. It never came out though, a sly grin spreading across his face instead. "Well, well, Anna. Got something to tell me? Something important, perhaps?" he almost sang, waggling his eyebrows.

"Don't be a creep about it, Hans. I bit Elsa, yeah. Don't make it weird," Anna grumped, punching Hans in the arm. "And where's your Thrall?"

"Lawrence, you mean? Unfortunately, his bad manners began to affect his blood. I sent him to London, dad wiped his memory, and he's now happily living as a farmhand somewhere near Oxfordshire."

Anna grimaced. "That sucks. For you, I mean. I couldn't be happier myself."

Elsa couldn't help her chuckle. "Sorry, Hans, but I'm with Anna on this one…"

Hans just shrugged. "Honestly, so am I. So, tell me everything about your little-"

"No," Anna replied immediately, cutting the question off.

"Fine, fine. Be a spoilsport. Then at least tell me where I can find Chloe. I still need to put the moves on her," he said, charming smile in place again.

Elsa laughed freely, this time. "I think you're a little too late for that. She seems to be taken."

Hans' shoulders slumped. "Damnit, I've been chasing that girl for a decade now…"

"Sucks to be you," Anna said, although her face didn't display any sign of that being an honest statement. "Oh, I gotta go talk to Trish real quick. I'll be right back, Elsa!" she murmured, planting a quick kiss on the blonde's cheek before disappearing into a crowd of suits and dresses.

Elsa and Hans amused each other for a little while longer, chatting about a variety of subjects, but honestly mostly about Anna. After a while, though, he too excused himself, joining some of his older brothers in a conversation about business ventures.

Elsa was about to make her way to the table filled with finger-foods when a hand suddenly clamped onto her shoulder, another one on her elbow, and she was roughly pulled behind a group of elderly-looking vampires. Before she had a chance to recover, she was pushed against a wall.

She had to blink several times before recognizing her assailant. She'd seen her often enough, sure, but never in a formal dress, all dolled up as she was now.

"Belle?"

"Shush. Don't talk, Elsa. What the hell are you doing here?" her brunette friend hissed. "Do you even know what you got yourself into?"

"Yeah, I'm at a party with-"

"Some of these people are _dangerous_, Els," the brunette interrupted, fidgeting with one of her hair bows. "You should get out of here. I can't really tell you-"

"That we're surrounded by vampires?" Elsa finished the statement, one eyebrow raised and an amused look on her face.

Belle's face slackened for a moment, before she narrowed her eyes. "You knew?"

"Of course," Elsa replied easily.

"How?" Belle continued her inquisition, hands now resting on her hips.

Elsa canted her head sideways, revealing the barely discernible marks. "I'm here with my girlfriend," she shrugged easily.

"You're dating a _Borges_?" Belle now asked, face suddenly a lot friendlier.

"There you are!" a familiar voice suddenly piped, turning their attention towards Ariel, Anna following closely behind her. "I've been looking everywhere for you, Belle. I'd like to introduce you to- Oh. I see you've already met Elsa?"

Belle nodded with a small grin. "Yes. I met Elsa. About six years ago, actually. We've been friends for ages."

"Huh, what a coincidence," Ariel smiled. "Well, then, this is Elsa's girlfriend, and my youngest sister, Anna."

"Pleasure to meet you," Belle said, all smiles and pleasantries, before suddenly turning seriously. "You better take good care of Els."

Anna laughed, shaking her hand. "No worries, I will. Although, I'm not entirely sure what you'd be able to do to me," she added with a wink.

Belle just shrugged, eyes roving over Ariel. "I'm pretty sure I could nicely ask your older sister to help me out, though."

Ariel also shrugged, more apologetically. "She's probably right, Little Beaver. I'm quite fond of her."

"So, are you two dating as well?" Anna asked.

It seemed a pretty innocent question, and the two women looked far too shocked for such a simple matter.

"No! We're _not_ dating!" Ariel immediately responded, waving her hands about.

"We're friends. _Just_ friends," Belle quickly added, eyes wide.

Anna and Elsa shared a glance, both instantly understanding what the other meant. "Right. Just friends. Got it," Elsa replied diplomatically.

"Good for you!" Anna followed up with, a little too enthusiastically.

Elsa smiled crookedly. "Anna, love, why don't you go and introduce Belle to Chloe? I'm sure they'd get along swimmingly."

"Oh, right. I guess you're right, they do have a few things in common," Anna chirped easily, grabbing Belle's hand and dragging her off.

Ariel remained standing next to Elsa, staring at her without an expression. "I'm over three-hundred years old, Elsa," she said dryly. "And you need to be a lot better at acting for me to buy into this whole nonchalance act."

"Yes, well," Elsa shrugged. "I didn't have a lot of time to prepare. I just need to talk to you for a moment."

"Well, this should be interesting," the older redhead smiled easily. "What's up?"

"You're into Belle."

Ariel hummed softly. "She's a great Thrall. I guess it's a bit weird to say to a human, but she tastes _amazing_. And she's a lot of fun to be around, too."

Elsa nodded slowly. "Yeah. I'm over twenty years old, Ariel," she said as dryly as possible. "And you need to be a lot better at acting for me to buy into this whole nonchalance act."

Ariel laughed unrestrained at the easy return of her own words. "Fair enough, I suppose I deserve that."

"Seriously, though," Elsa said, recovering from her own giggles. "You're _really_ into Belle. You called her gorgeous, last time we saw you… And I've known her for years – a lot longer than you, oddly enough. Trust me when I tell you that the feeling is _entirely_ mutual."

Ariel's gaze drifted over to the distance, where Anna and Belle seemed to be involved in a serious discussion of their own, having given up on the cover of 'looking for Chloe.' "Perhaps. Perhaps not. I'd hate to ruin something good because I got greedy and wanted more, though."

"I get that," Elsa responded honestly. "But even you have to see the way she looks at you. You know, the look that starts at your hair and then sweeps all the way to your feet and back up, before settling on your face and getting all mushy and emotional? That's a pretty big indicator of Belle being heads over heels for you."

"So, what do you suggest?" Ariel asked, wavering slightly as she nervously played with a strand of red hair.

"Make a move," Elsa answered plainly. "Belle isn't the type to make the first move. And no matter what Anna's telling her, the chances of her opening up to you are slim if you don't take the first step."

"Right," Ariel breathed. "I'll… I'll keep that in mind… Thank you, Elsa. You're… a pretty darn awesome person."

"Right back at ya," Elsa smirked, giving the redhead a gentle push towards her soon-to-be-girlfriend. "Go kiss the girl."

The blonde watched as the redhead easily linked her arm through Belle's leading her away to something that was obstructed from her view by a mass of bodies. Anna was quick to join her side again, mimicking the looped arms and easily leading her outside.

Every here and there, they'd pause for a moment, exchanging idly pleasantries with vampires that were _clearly_ not Anna's family. For some reason, Elsa found the idea of African vampires to be really odd, and she couldn't help but wonder if that made her some different type of racist. Did vampires even care about race?

Before she got a chance to ask Anna, she got tackled into a hug from the side. The mass of red hair and loud squeal made her suspect Chloe had found them, and when she pulled away that suspicion was confirmed. Beca also sauntered up to them.

"I'm sorry about that," the tiny brunette smirked, rolling her eyes. "My stupid dork of a girlfriend doesn't know what _personal space_ means."

"Clearly," Elsa answered with a small chuckle, not really minding the girl's oddity.

"So, how old is yours?" Beca asked, nodding her head towards Anna.

"Just twenty-one," Elsa smiled, ruffling Anna's hair lightly, which earned her a little pout. "What about Chloe?"

"Sixty-five," Beca smirked.

"Sixty-four!" came the immediately response.

"Whatever, dude. At your age, one year more or less hardly matters."

"Rude, much?" Chloe asked, narrowing her eyes playfully. "You better be nice, or I'll let you grow old and wrinkly and ugly."

Beca scoffed in response. "That would leave me with the better end of the bargain. I'd have a hot wife, and you'd be stuck with… well, me."

That realisation seemed to turn Chloe from a happy rainbow-unicorn into a despondent puppy. That, however, was short-lived, as the woman grabbed a small snack from a passing waiter and attempted to force-feed it to her girlfriend.

"Chlo, no… Stop that… I am perfectly capable of eating myself-"

"I know, Becs! But I want to be nice to you. Stop being a grumpy midget and just let me feed you!"

Elsa laughed as she watched the easy interaction between the two, Anna looking as if she was considering helping the poor woman – who was indeed rather tiny – out. Elsa gently grabbed hold of her wrist, telling her to just let them sort it out.

"Fine," Beca eventually huffed, opening her mouth, but not wide enough for Chloe to actually be able to do much.

"Wider!" Chloe pouted insistently, and with a roll of her eyes and a deep sigh, Beca obliged. Once the snack was safely in her mouth and Chloe looked away, Elsa saw the tiniest traces of a satisfied smirk creeping across Beca's face.

"Anna, Elsa," Roger suddenly said, standing right behind them. "Could you join me in my study for a moment?"

"Of course, Father," Anna immediately replied with a confused expression etched onto her face. "We'll be right over."

With a small nod, Roger stalked off towards his study. Elsa and Anna quickly said their goodbyes to Chloe and Beca, exchanging numbers and promising to meet up while they were still in town, before walking towards the study as well.

When they knocked, and were bid to enter, they were surprised to find the room more filled than expected. Several vampires were staring them down from the other side of the room. Anna was clearly going to ask why they were here, but before she could do so, one of the vampires, dressed in a sharp, grey suit, dashed forward, turning into a streak of grey before Elsa's eyes.

She could barely make out that he was headed straight towards her before she heard a loud snarl and a massive thumping sound. Next thing she knew, the man was laying on the ground to her side, Anna – hair tousled, fangs extended, growling and out of breath – standing over him.

"Anna, that's enough," Roger commanded from behind his desk.

Anna immediately stilled, although she did not seem to agree. "He tried to attack Elsa!" she growled under her breath, still easily made out in the silence of the study.

"No, honey," Sara interjected. "He did not. He was just trying to scare you into action. At our request."

"_What? Why?" _Anna asked, taking a deep breath and returning to her human-like appearance again.

Roger heaved a small sigh. "Well, let us explain. First, introductions are in order. That was James Thorne you tossed across the room. He's… Hans' father. Behind me are Salome Rosario and Celeste Morvant, who lead their respective houses like James and I lead ours."

"Okay," Anna said slowly. "So all the important family heads are here. Why?"

"Your mother and I tried to find an answer to our little conundrum. You were able to outmatch your older brother physically, which is nigh unheard of. And just now, you tossed a vampire across the room who is several centuries older than you are. As far as I know, that's never been seen before. My library proved insufficient, though, so we wrote to the only ones who have as much knowledge as we did."

"That'd be us," James Thorne smiled – Elsa immediately knew where Hans had gotten his charms from – "Sorry about the little fright, by the by. It was prudent that we see what you could do with our own eyes. I never really meant to do either of you any harm."

Anna nodded stiffly. Elsa smiled genuinely. "Quite alright, sir. No harm, no foul."

"Quite so," Thorne smiled with a dip of his head.

Roger cleared his throat, continuing his story. "We decided that, rather than having long correspondences, we should just discuss the matter in person."

The woman in the far corner, dressed entirely in black and her face veiled with a black veil, straightened a little. "Truth be told, the two of you are the only reason my family attended Moonfeast. Though I believe we should venture out into the world more often again. My brethren seem to be enjoying themselves…"

"Now that we've seen what you can do," Sara took over, "I'd like to know if anyone has any clue as to what is going on with our daughters."

Morvant and Thorne shook their heads slightly, and Roger turned his chair towards the fire roaring behind him. In front of it stood an old man, clearly southern-European, with salt-and-pepper hair, who was heavily leaning on his cane. "Salome… You're the oldest of us, by far… Have you ever seen anything like this?"

The old man slowly turned around, making his way towards Elsa and Anna. He looked at them, and no one said anything for several minutes, until Salome Rosario sighed. "I cannot say that I have, Roger. However, a long time ago, when I was still young… I heard a story… You are young, but clever, and in your eyes I can see that you already have a suspicion, as to the reason behind this phenomenon… If the old story is to be believed, you might be right… But I bid you we not speak of it. Not tonight. Let the youth enjoy their party."

"What do you suggest we do, then?" Sara asked, worry clouding her voice.

"Easy," Salome responded with a gently smile as he placed a hand on Anna's shoulder. "We call upon the Five… And then we bring these two remarkable ladies in front of them. If not they, then who will possess the answers we seek?"

Thorne laughed nervously. "The Five don't meet anyone," he ventured. "Not even the heads of the families."

Salome nodded slowly. "Perhaps you are right. But I dare say they will be most eager to meet _them_."

Roger nodded. "Very well. So it shall be, then. Girls, you're free to enjoy the rest of the evening. Don't worry about any of this for tonight. I'll let you know how things will proceed. Also, if you want to stay over here tonight, so you can both drink without have to worry about driving home, your old bedroom is still yours."

"Thank you, Daddy," Anna smiled, respectfully nodding towards everyone else. Elsa followed her example and walked out of the study as Anna kept the door open.

Before either could remark on it, someone called their names from a distant, enthusiastically waving, while simultaneously walking the other way.

"Was that… Ursula the dress merchant?" Elsa asked, eyes wide with wonder.

"Mhm," Anna merely murmured, looping their arms together.

"What… is she doing here?"

Anna's eyes lit up immediately. "Oh, didn't I tell you she was a vampire?"

**Yes. I totes just added Chloe Beale and Beca Mitchell from Pitch Perfect to my Elsanna Vampire fic. Bite me. Just be glad I didn't add Yoda from Star Wars too, because the urge was certainly there. Anyhow! I hope you all enjoyed this! If you did, I'd _really_ appreciate a review. It sucks to be in the dark about what you people think of my writing - and reviews can only make the story better! :)**


	11. Chapter 11

**Heya all of you! I bet y'all thought we were done with Moonfeast, didn't ya? Well, guess again. This chapter is **_**also**_** Moonfeast. Mostly, at least. I apologize if you'd have preferred it all in one chapter, but err… then you would probably still be waiting for my update :/**

**Also, in response to the gazillion times you lovely people have asked about this: Yes, I am a Bechloe fan. Yes, I have a Bechloe fic. Yes, it will be published. No, I cannot tell you when, other than 'when it's finished.' When that will be? Hopefully sometime before December 2017. Probably a lot sooner. Possibly not. Bechloe is my little baby. Her big sister Elsanna takes up most of my time, though… Toddlers, am I right?**

**Enjoy the rest of Moonfeast, my dear reader-peoples!**

* * *

"What do you mean, she's a vampire?" Elsa practically screeched, trying to catch another glimpse of her long-time dressmaker. "I think I would have known if Ursula was a vampire, Anna…"

"Think about it," the redhead responded with a wide grin. "Did you ever see her out in the sunlight for longer than a few minutes? And how else do you think she could have been pushing and pulling me through her shop like that?"

"So she's older than you are?"

"Yeah," Anna replied. "And before you ask, she isn't family. She's from one of the smaller, less prominent families."

"The world just stopped making sense," Elsa muttered, shaking her head in defeat. She didn't get very long to ponder on it, though, as Anna excitedly grabbed her arm, pulling her off into the direction of the gardens.

"Let's go see if we can find some fun people to talk to!"

Elsa nodded her assent – futile, really, since Anna wasn't looking backwards and just dragged her along like a ragdoll anyway – but they didn't get very far. Barely six steps into the crowd, Anna came to an abrupt stop in front of her oldest brother.

"Hey there, Louis!" she chirped. "How are you enjoying this Moonfeast?"

The redhead chuckled politely. "Hello Beaver. Elsa, pleasure to see you again."

Anna huffed and pouted at the nickname, puffing her chest out. "Why are you polite to her, but not to me?"

"Because you're my little sister. In due time, I'm sure I'll stop being polite to Elsa as well," her brother grinned, causing Anna to roll her eyes. "But I'd like you to meet an old friend of mine. Anna, Elsa, this is Leonard Morvant. Leonard, my youngest sister and her girlfriend."

Only now did they noticed the tall, blonde man standing next to Louis, his skin paler than Elsa's and dressed in an elegant black suit. "Ah, a pleasure to make your acquaintance," he spoke suavely as he shook their hands. "So you two are the children Mother came to see. I imagine you must be… very interesting," he smiled sweetly. "Mother has refused to leave the house for decades now, so I really do think a thank-you is in order from my entire family. It was becoming quite a drag, being locked inside all the time."

"Well, it's not really like we consciously did something or anything," Anna chuckled nervously.

Leonard shook his head with a laugh. "Oh, Louis has told me everything about your little incident. Very interesting, indeed. Mother was quite displeased when she could not deduce the origins of your… _gift_. So displeased that she allowed me access to her library so I could help. Of course, we discovered nothing… Quite vexing."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Anna replied politely, managing to actually look sorry.

"Ah, no matter. I'm sure the old patriarchs will have come up with something. Old Rosario may not look like much, but he's still sharp as a whip."

"Leonard," Louis interrupted, "let's leave the kids to their playtime. I'm sure there will be plenty of occasions for further conversation when they do not have dozens of friends to catch up with all around them."

"Ah, of course," the blonde nodded sagely. "Enjoy your evening, ladies."

And just like that, the two men walked off again, Louis sending them a little wave as he looked over his shoulder, and Anna already being too busy with seeking out her next victims.

"Oh, over there!" the redhead suddenly yelped excitedly, bouncing off and dragging Elsa along with her. "Mulan! Hey, Mulan! Over here, it's me!"

A tall, dark haired woman stopped and turned around, revealing herself to be a Chinese woman in her late twenties. At least, that's what she looked like. With vampires, Elsa reminded herself, you could never judge anyone on their appearance.

"Hello, Anna," the woman – Mulan? – said with a small bow. "It is good to see you again."

"Yes it is!" Anna replied happily, pushing Elsa forward a little. "Mulan, I'd like you to meet my girlfriend Elsa…"

Again, the woman bowed, before extending her hand and shaking Elsa's. "It's nice to meet you, Elsa. I hope Anna is treating you well?"

"She is, yes," Elsa answered immediately, sending her girlfriend a loving glance.

"My, my," Mulan suddenly chuckled. "You must be something special… I remember Anna swearing she would never again bite anyone like it was yesterday…"

Anna huffed, giving the other woman a playful shove. "Don't embarrass me, Mulan!"

"Such was not my intention," Mulan shrugged in reply. "Just stating a fact. Regardless, I am very happy for the both of you."

"So, are you…?" Elsa asked, question left dangling.

"A vampire?" Mulan finished for her. After a mute nod from Elsa, she briefly revealed her fangs, before folding them away again. "Let me guess, you are surprised to see a Chinese vampire?"

"Well, honestly, a little, yes," Elsa smiled weakly. "I didn't read anything about Asian or African vampires, so the concept never even crossed my mind."

"To be expected," Mulan nodded with a sigh. "We make up only a very small part of the vampire population. Add to that the fact that we mostly keep to ourselves – Moonfeast excepted – and there's actually very little literature about us."

"Anna!" a voice suddenly boomed, interrupting their conversation abruptly. They turned around to find a short, overweight man coming their way, annoyance etched on his face, as well as several chocolate stains covering his chin and cheeks. "I'm looking for your brother. You seen him?"

Anna raised one eyebrow – a quirk Elsa recognized from herself, which made her smile – and shrugged sheepishly. "I have a _lot_ of brothers. You'll have to be at least a _little_ less vague."

"Why, Patrick, of course!" the portly – okay, portly was an understatement – man smiled broadly. "I borrowed him some money last year to start up his business. He was supposed to pay me back today."

"I see," Anna winced. "That's going to be a little difficult. Patrick is um… not attending this year."

Elsa noticed the quizzical expressions of both Mulan and the little fat vampire, leading her to assume that not attending Moonfeast was… more than unusual.

"What? Why's he not attending? _Everyone_ attends."

"He… just isn't," Anna replied vaguely.

"So you said. But why? I need that money back!"

"Well, um… Father and Mother forbade it," Anna answered in a quieter tone. "He broke some rules, upset them, and now he's undergoing… punishment."

"That's rubbish," the other man groused stubbornly. "Everyone gets to attend Moonfeast. You can't _not_ be at Moonfeast. That's like… Being a vampire and not biting anyone."

"Low blow, Marcus," Anna sighed. "Also a moot point, by now, but you were never one to keep up with gossip. Or to keep up in general, I suppose."

"Be nice to your elders, whelp…" Marcus sneered with his eyes narrowed. "But I suppose I should not expect good manners from a Borges. Your parents clearly don't have a clue how to raise their children."

Anna sighed theatrically. "And now you're just looking to pick a fight. I'd give you one, but Father told us to be nice, so I'll let it slide."

Clearly, Anna's bigger-than-you attitude didn't sit well with Marcus, whose face started turning purple at an alarmingly rapid pace. "Whatever. I'm just glad I come from a proper family, rather than one where almost half of the children are _weird_ like you."

"Pardon? Weird like me? What's that supposed to mean?" Anna now asked, looking genuinely perplexed.

"Oh, you know. Women being with women, like you, and I-don't-know-how-many of your sisters. I saw that Chloe woman toting around with a little gremlin-styled human, and Ariel with her Thrall. It's disgusting."

The sound of Anna's fangs was hardly audible over the general rumouring of conversations around them, but somehow Elsa picked up on it nonetheless, placing a steadying hand on Anna's shoulder. "He's not worth it, Anna."

"Yeah, listen to the disgusting-"

"Don't, Piggy," Anna snarled.

As soon as the words had left her mouth, several things happened at once. Elsa felt Anna slipping away from underneath her hand as she saw Marcus dashing forward. From the corner of her eye, she also noticed Mulan procuring what appeared to be an ornate dagger from who-knows-where. Before anyone could clash with another, though, there was a soft swoosh and the smell of cigars all around them.

And the next thing Elsa knew, Marcus was bouncing off someone who was definitely not Anna. Focusing her eyes on the rapidly-moving blur revealed it to be the old man from Roger's study – Salome Rosario – leaning on his cane as if he had not just interrupted a fight before it could begin.

"What's your name, boy?" the old man asked, not at all unpleasantly.

"Marcus," the fat vampire sneered, still lying on his back, and only slowly making his way back onto his feet.

"Marcus…?"

"Marcus Pigstin."

"Well, Mr. Pigstin," the old man sighed. "It would be wise to show our hosts a little more respect than that."

"She started it!"

"Hardly," Rosario replied easily. "I was enjoying a cigar outside, but don't think I did not hear you very clearly. It's hardly befitting of a member of the Pigstin family to be insulting a Borges. Your family name is a lot more tattered and smeared, young one. Now, play nice, or retire to your room," he continued easily, already turning away. "Oh, and please put that away, Fa Mulan. We would not want to ruin Sara's carpet with unsightly bloodstains, even if we _are_ vampires."

"Of course, sir," Mulan said, bowing towards the old man's back as he walked away. Anna and Marcus were still engaged in an intense staring match, neither one willing to be the first one to look away. The childish competition lasted longer than Elsa thought necessary – or comfortable – easily stretching into several minutes.

Just when it appeared to finally be over – Anna shaking her head with a sigh and turning away – Marcus dashed forward, fist already raised. Before anyone could respond, or Elsa could even blink, Salome Rosario was standing in between them again.

Elsa watched on in amazement as the man straightened his back, suddenly being almost a full head taller, and raised his cane, easily tapping the end of it against Marcus' head and flooring the young vampire, who clambered back to his feet a lot faster and attempted to reach Anna again, only to be poked in his chest with the end of Rosario's cane – again ending on his back.

This time, however, the old man did not pull his weapon – or walking aid? – away, still keeping it firmly to the fat man's chest. "That was, per chance, the most foolish thing I have seen anyone do in over two-thousand years, child. Surely you did not think I would not hear?"

Rather than replying, Marcus waggled his arms and legs slightly, before attempting to push the cane away from his chest. "Now, now, boy, stop squirming. I would hate to be forced to crush your ribcage with my cane." The old man took a deep breath, pressing down on his cane a little more, and eliciting a yelp from the other vampire. "Now, listen, and listen well, child. I'll be removing my cane momentarily. And then you get up, politely apologize to Miss Borges, before excusing yourself from Moonfeast. I expect you to be in your room until your family leaves tomorrow. Try not to be a fool, this time."

As soon as Rosario took a step backwards, Marcus climbed back on his feet, bowing so deeply to Anna that he almost toppled over. "I offer you my most sincere apologies, Miss Borges. I do not know what came over me, and hope that you can find it in your generous heart to forgive me for the horrible things I have said."

Anna – eyes still red, but no longer growling – gave a curt nod. The old man tapped his cane against Marcus' leg with a wry smile. "It appears Miss Borges is in a forgiving mood. Your apology, while lacking in sincerity, will have to do. Now begone, you oafish boy."

As Marcus toddled off, looking appropriately embarrassed, Rosario turned towards them. "Now, children, go and enjoy your night. I shan't take up more of your time, and neither shall Mr. Pigstin."

As the old man walked away, leaning onto his cane heavily again, Elsa could have sword she heard him mutter something about 'an unfortunate name for a family.' As she tried to suppress her snickering, Mulan eyed her from the side, clearly amused. "You have good ears… for a human."

"Um… thanks?"

Mulan merely dipped her head in response, before turning around and walking away. Just then, Anna apparently spotted something – or someone – else, and dashed off again, leaving Elsa to attempt a chase.

It didn't take the blonde long to figure out where Anna was headed, noticing Ariel and Belle near the fireplace. She was just in time to grab Anna's wrist to prevent the redhead from interrupting the conversation Ariel and Belle were obviously engaged in, which looked to be rather a serious one, judging by the waving of hands and arms, and the looks on their faces.

"Elsa, what are you doing? I wanted to go and tell Ariel about what happened with-"

"Just leave them be, for a moment, Anna," Elsa smiled easily, looping their arms together and walking the other way.

They both turned their heads at the loud squeal that could be heard only moments later, seeing Belle and Ariel – the redhead's arms wrapped around the brunette – laying on the ground in a tangled mess of limbs and giggles.

"Ahw, they're cute," Anna smiled, before grimacing. "But that cannot be comfortable. At all."

"I entirely agree on both," Elsa laughed heartily, pulling Anna sideways to prevent her from bowling into a group of women, before pulling her slightly backwards so she would not be run over by a gaggle of little kids playing tag. "You should watch where you're going, though…"

"Oh, please," Anna laughed, turning her eyes to the front again. "My senses are so attuned to my surrounding, I don't even need to watch where I'm going."

Elsa just rolled her eyes in response, knowing that any argument or proof she'd bring up to counter Anna's statement would be rebuked with an equally ridiculous statement. It wasn't even worth the effort.

"You're just lucky you're so cute."

* * *

Even though Moonfeast had already been going on for hours by now, and a fair amount of vampires had retired to their rooms already, Elsa still found herself enjoying every minute of it. It was a remarkable experience, meeting so many vampires from so many different cultures, as well as their Thralls and partners.

It was also refreshing to talk to other humans _about_ vampires. Obviously, that was not something Elsa could do freely outside of events such as these – Ursula the dress merchant might have been a vampire, but Elsa was certain most of the people around her _weren't_. There was always the chance of accidentally exposing the vampires, which would, undoubtedly, lead to a witch hunt.

Or… vampire hunt, really.

Regardless, that was not something she had to worry about right now, huddled in one of the corners with Belle and Beca, discussing their partners – or in Belle's case, 'sort-of-maybe-possibly-dating-I-don't-know-it's-complicated' – without any vampires there to represent them or butt into the conversation.

"So, Elsa…" Belle suddenly piped. "Ariel told me about Anna's peculiarity with biting people to feed… But if she didn't bite, then… how _did_ she feed?"

Admittedly, Elsa had been wondering whether period-feeding was something common amongst vampires, but obviously it wasn't. She felt a blush overtaking her cheeks as she attempted to form a coherent response.

"Um. Well… She um… fed from me… One week a month…"

For a split-second, both Belle and Beca looked at her with confused expressions, before it dawned on them. Belle started giggling hysterically, whereas Beca's face turned even paler than it had been before, crinkling her nose in distaste. "_Dude_, you better hope Chlo didn't hear you say that. I swear, if she gets any funny ideas from you two…"

The threat was left hanging in the air, but Elsa found it hard to find Beca's most menacing look very menacing. She was sure it would work on pretty much anyone the little brunette encountered, but having seen how much of a softie she really was – especially around Chloe – Elsa found it difficult to take the threat seriously.

Still, she figured it would probably be wise not to take any chances and change the subject, before Belle choked or Beca felt that carrying her threat out was a necessity. "I won't tell her, don't worry. How about… turning? Did you discuss that yet?"

Belle immediately shook her head. "Well, I'm only Ariel's Thrall, so if she'd turn me, I'd probably be worthless for feeding purposes. Now that we're, maybe, trying this whole dating thing, it might be something we want to discuss at some point, though…"

Beca, on the other hand, scoffed with a smirk. "Hell yeah I'm getting Chloe to turn me. We both agreed on that like, months ago. She's just holding off on it until I get my _growth spurt," _the brunette grimaced as she air-quoted the final two words. "It will be soon, though. I think she wants me to stay the way I am now. I mean, it's not like it's going to get much better… How about you?"

Elsa sighed, shaking her head slightly. "Anna's vehemently against it. I think I am in favor, in due time. Still, Anna was vehemently against biting – particularly in a spot where the marks would be visible – too, and she came round on that… And it's not like she's still as opposed to turning me as she was a month ago, so perhaps in time."

For a moment, it was as if the three of them were surrounded by a red hurricane, and it spoke volumes that none of them flinched, or even looked surprised. Only moments later, the air stilled again, and Elsa found Anna pressed up to her side.

"Are you three done gossiping about us?" she asked sweetly.

"Chlo, you're squashing me!" Beca groused, and Elsa couldn't stop herself from laughing as she watched the taller redhead drape herself over the brunette's shoulders with a dramatic sigh.

"Oh, shush, you know you love it! Besides, I missed you Becs!"

"That's… nice. Can you just stop climbing me like I'm a tree? _Dude_, cut it out- You can't- Gah, Chlo!"

Rather than continuing to watch the adventure that Chloe attempting to get a piggyback ride from Beca would turn out to be, Elsa turned towards Ariel. "So, the two of you are dating, hm?"

"I think so?" Ariel asked, looking at Belle with raised eyebrows. The brunette gave a shy nod in response, after which Ariel also nodded, more determinately. "Yes, absolutely."

"That's great… I'm really happy for you two, you make a very cute couple."

"Hey, Els…" Anna muttered quietly, nudging her side. "It's almost three in the morning… Do you think it's perhaps a good idea to go to bed?"

Elsa smiled tenderly. "Do _you_ think it's a good idea to go to bed?"

The redhead bit her lower lip for a moment, before nodding shyly. "But if you don't want to, or if you still want to talk to people or meet more people, I will stay up with you. It's not like I'm really, really tired."

"Lead the way, Anna," Elsa smiled, giving the others quick waves and assuring them that they'd see each other the following morning during breakfast.

Taking the blonde's hand, Anna led Elsa throughout the mansion, up several flights of stairs, and into a part of the building she had never visited before. All the doors here seemed to be identical, and as they walked down the corridor, Anna was visibly counting the number of doors they passed, before eventually stopping in front of the twelfth.

"So," she murmured. "This is my room. My old room, I suppose."

She opened the door, revealing a simple bedroom. Elsa stepped inside, taking in the green carpet on the floor and the soft, yellow wallpaper. There were hardly any decorations in the room, safe for one wall, which was all but covered in pictures – all of them showing Anna's relatives. Against the other wall stood a wardrobe, and there was a television near the end of the bed, a collection of movies lined up underneath.

"It's not much…" Anna smiled shyly. "I didn't really spend a lot of time here, even when I still lived here."

"It's a lovely room, Anna," Elsa smiled sincerely, taking off her shoes.

Anna mirrored her movements, taking off her shoes as well, before unzipping her dress and unceremoniously dumping it to the floor. "So, um… Elsa? Did you enjoy yourself tonight?"

Without thinking, Elsa immediately nodded. "Absolutely. It was amazing. I met so many new and wonderful people – and a few not-so wonderful people too, but that was to be expected. I learned a lot about vampires, more than I could ever learn from books."

Having taken off her dress as well, and unpinned her hair from its delicate up-do, Elsa lowered herself onto the bed, taking up a position next to Anna. "I don't know why I was so worried about all of this. I've been eating myself up all day. Turns out there was absolutely nothing to be worried about."

"I won't say that I told you so, but… well, y'know," Anna smiled, eyes droopy with sleep.

Elsa gently nudged her side, eliciting a yelp. "Says the girl who was eating herself up about her family's reaction to a silly bite mark."

"Hey, it's not a silly bite mark!" Anna defended half-heartedly.

"Of course not. Whatever you say," Elsa smiled, stifling a yawn. "Oh, sheesh, I hadn't even realized how tired I was until now…"

When she opened her eyes again, she found Anna's already closed, the rhythmic breathing betraying that her girlfriend had already fallen asleep, head resting on her chest, arm draped across her waist, and legs entangled.

"Sleep tight, my dearest," she smiled, placing a kiss on top of the fiery hair, before drifting off to sleep herself.

* * *

**Again, it's 3am, so if there are mistakes, those will have to wait until tomorrow to be fixed. Next chapter will be a happy family breakfast, and some plot. Yay! **

**Also, I'm still a sucker for reviews. So if you like, want to make me totes happy, please do leave on for me. **


	12. Chapter 12

**Now that I have returned, updates just seem to be raining down from the sky, don't they? Well, trust me, I won't be able to keep this pace of updating up forever, and eventually, I will have to slow down to just one update per week. But, that's all in the future. For now, BRING ON THE WRITING MOJO! HUZZAH!**

**Ahem. Yes. Enjoy this chapter. Feel free to re-read earlier chapters. I can imagine you might be sort of lost as to what happened before, since I took an eternity (and then some...) to update.**

* * *

A joyful laughter and the soft rumouring of dozens of conversations drew Elsa away from her peaceful slumbering. Upon re-entering the land of the living, she lifted a dainty hand to rub at her mouth, finding it filled with red strands of hair.

As per usual, Anna was practically lying on top of her, head resting on her collarbone and her fiery hair fanned out over the pillow, as well as Elsa's head. The lack of snores or mumbles were a fairly accurate indication that Anna was, in all likelihood already awake.

"Good morning," her sleepy voice sounded through the room, still sounding croaky. "I hope I didn't wake you…"

Elsa smiled lazily, pulling Anna closer towards herself. "You didn't. I woke up from that laughter just now."

"Oh, that's Allison. You'd think, after all these centuries, she'd have learned to keep it down some, hm?"

Elsa merely smiled down at Anna, whose eyes were still droopy. "Considering she's related to you, Ariel and Chloe, I wouldn't expect any different."

"Fair enough," the redhead conceded. "I suppose we're just a loud family."

"Speaking of family," Elsa started hesitantly. "Shouldn't we get out of bed to greet them for breakfast?"

Anna shrugged. "It's only eight. And I can promise you with one hundred percent accuracy that _no one_ in my family expects me to get out of bed before eleven. Trust me."

The blonde chuckled as she eased her head back onto her pillow. "Well, for once, I'm very grateful for your natural inclination towards laziness."

Anna hummed in agreement, until, a few seconds later, she suddenly shot up, resting on her elbows and staring down at Elsa. "Are you calling me lazy?"

She drew up a single eyebrow, staring up at Anna's indignant expression, and tried her very best not to erupt into laughter. "Don't pretend that no one called you lazy before."

"Oh, I won't. My parents and siblings did it all the time," Anna frowned down at her. "I just prefer 'practical' over lazy. Sounds less… judgy."

"Judgy?"

"Uh-huh."

"I'll stop being judgy if you get back down here and snuggle with me for a little while longer."

Anna's frown disappeared, immediately being replaced by a grin. "That sounds like an amazing idea. If I fall asleep again, just wake me up around… oh, I don't know, three o'clock or something?"

Elsa's giggle caused Anna's head to be jostled on her chest, but the redhead didn't complain. "Keep dreaming, Anna. I'll wake you up around eleven, if not earlier."

"Psh, you're no fun at all."

"Whatever you say, Anna," Elsa responded with a good-natured roll of her eyes.

The redhead nodded against her collarbone and closed her eyes. Several minutes passed in a comfortable silence before Anna spoke up again. "Hey, Elsa? I was just kidding. You're lots of fun…" she murmured sleepily, before wiggling closer, her breath evening out as she slipped into the land of dreams again.

Not even two hours passed in a content haze of half-sleep before Anna awoke again, this time more energetic and lively than before, nearly dragging the blonde out of bed when progress was not quick enough for the redhead.

"Gee, Anna… I allowed you to sleep in for as long as you wanted, but now you can't do me the same curtesy?"

"Oh, please, we both know you've been wide awake since forever, and are just dying to get out of bed and have a productive day. Don't even pretend otherwise."

Elsa rolled her eyes for the umpteenth time this morning. "Oh, you know me so well. Fine, fine. Let's get dressed, then, shall we?"

* * *

Last night, everyone had been dressed to the nines, donned in expensive suits and dresses, with their hair and make-up done immaculately, and their jewellery carefully selected and worn with pride.

It made for a sobering imagine when Elsa and Anna walked into the ballroom this morning, where several rows of tables had been placed, reminding Elsa of the Great Hall in Hogwarts. She and Anna were, quite possibly, the most well-dressed people around, and they had just thrown on some faded jeans and a baggy sweater.

The majority of the occupants of the breakfast hall were still dressed in their pyjamas, varying from oversized T-shirts and baggy sweatpants to robes and slippers. The occasional person had thrown on actual clothes, but more often than not, the focus was still on comfort, rather than style.

A little ways down the table, Elsa spotted Chloe and Beca, the latter sitting in the redhead's lap, being spoon-fed in between their conversation with Belle and Ariel, who were sitting on the other side, hands clasped together on the table, shooting each other shy smiles and furtive glances every now and again. All four women were dressed in comfortable shirts and shorts, their hair a tangled mess.

Louis and his blond friend, both dressed in robes and slippers, near one of the coffee makers, silently watching everyone else having breakfast as they sipped from their cups.

Glancing around the room, Elsa spotted only three vampires that were dressed properly: Lady Morvant, and Roger and Sara Borges. Catching the latter's eye, she and Anna were waved over to the head of one of the tables.

"Seems like your mother wants to have a word," Elsa muttered, Anna already nodding.

"Good morning, girls," Sara smiled as they walked up to her. "I trust you slept well?"

"Yes, Mother," Anna responded with a smile and a dip of her head.

"Good. Very good. Now, as you know, everyone is free to stay as long as they want after breakfast. Or to leave immediately, should they so desire… That being said, when you finish breakfast, your father wants to have a word with the two of you in his office, so please, don't dawdle."

"Alright, we won't," Elsa promised, after which Sara waved them off towards the other side of the table, where both Ariel and Chloe were eagerly waving at them.

As they took their seat – Anna perched in Elsa's lap due to a lack of available chairs – and started lading their plates with food, Ariel and Chloe merely looked at Anna with raised eyebrows.

"What?" the redhead asked, already halfway a bite of her sandwich.

"Nothing," Ariel smiled innocently.

"We're just not used to you being up and about before noon," Chloe added with a smirk and a wink.

"I bet Elsa had to drag her out of bed," Ariel continued, nodding seriously.

"Actually," Elsa chimed in, "Anna had to drag me out of bed." At the surprised looks of the other girls, she laughed and continued. "Trust me, I was as surprised as you are."

"Ha, Ha," Anna remarked drolly. "Did we not already have this discussion for the past three Moonfeast mornings?"

"We did," Chloe allowed, "but those were actually afternoons. Late afternoons, in one case. I remember you rolling out of bed just in time to have dinner with mother and father."

"That was _one_ time!" Anna defended shrilly.

"Actually-" Ariel started, before being stopped by Belle.

"I think we all get the picture. Anna enjoys sleeping."

"Among other things," Chloe giggled, earning her a slap from Beca, who immediately had to dodge the fingers digging into her sides in revenge.

The clearing of a throat behind them caught everyone's attention, each head turning to face Roger, standing behind them. "Sorry to interrupt your breakfast, ladies," he smiled charmingly. "Chloe, Beca, please remember that you have an appointment in my office at one. We have a lot to discuss, so please make sure to be on time."

Both young women nodded obediently, ignoring the inquisitive stares from the others. Roger, doing the same, simply continued. "Elsa, Anna, I know my wife told you 'after breakfast,' but do you think you could join me in my study for a while?"

"Of course, father," Anna murmured, getting up from Elsa's lap, the two of them sending quick waves at their friends before walking after him.

As they exited the breakfast hall and walked towards Roger's study, they encounter Salome Rosario, dressed in as sharp a suit as the night before, with the exception of his sleek, black shoes, which were replaced by white fuzzy slippers, shaped as bunnies, talking on the phone. "I don't care that they never meet anyone. All I ask is that you- Don't interrupt me, boy. I was out and about before your grandfather was even a thought in _his_ father's head. Now go deliver my message, or I'll go and visit your grandfather, and get him to deliver the message in your stead."

"Don't mind him," Roger smiled dismissively. "Getting an audience with the Five is never easy. Getting their servants to pass along your messages is even harder, sometimes. Please, have a seat."

Doing as they were told, they both settled on one of the chairs in front of Roger's office, waiting impatiently for him to get down to business. After only a few seconds, Anna cleared her throat. "Are we in some sort of trouble?"

"What?" Roger asked, almost dropping the papers he had picked up. "Oh, no, no. Of course not, dear."

"Then, why are we here, instead of having breakfast?" Anna asked with a wry grin.

"Ah, yes, I do apologize for that. It's simply because this is a somewhat time-sensitive matter. See, once we arrange an audience with the Five, they will decide on the time and place, as well as everything happening afterwards. The elders and I discussed the matter, and decided that it would be prudent for Elsa's parents to be informed about our existence before any of that happens, just in case."

"We can tell them?" Elsa asked hopefully. "I thought that took a lot of decision-making, and planning and checking up on their reliability?"

"Normally, yes. However, you and Anna vouched for them, and Sara went out of her way to meet them as well – all without revealing her identity, of course – so the elders agreed that it was a risk we're willing to take."

"Okay," Anna cheered, "so we'll be calling them and-"

"This is not something you tell someone over the phone, Anna."

"Knowing my very down-to-earth parents, they wouldn't believe it anyway," Elsa chuckled.

"Then what-"

Roger cut Anna off with a wave of his hand. "I've arranged for a plane to take you to Norway already. All the paperwork regarding the revelation has been taken care of as well."

"So, when are we leaving?" Elsa asked, eager to see her parents again, even though she had visited only a short while ago.

Roger looked at his watch, then at the grandfather clock standing in the corner. "In about half an hour, if my clock does not deceive me."

Anna smirked at the blonde. "Guess I was right to get us out of bed so early after all."

"Yeah, yeah," Elsa grumbled good-naturedly, "I'm never going to live that down, am I?"

* * *

Elsa took in the heaps of snow surrounding them as they walked up to her parents' cottage. It was surreal to be back in Norway so shortly after having visited them. Traveling here by private jet had been even stranger, although in an entirely pleasant sense of the word.

Only now that they were walking up the garden path did she realize that they had forgotten one, minor, relatively important, step of the plan: she hadn't informed her parents that she'd be coming by.

"I just hope they are home," Elsa grinned weakly as she lifted her hand to the door to knock. Before her hand could touch the hardwood, though, the door swung inward, revealing both of her parents.

"Elsa! I thought I recognized you!" her mother beamed. "What on God's green earth are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be across the ocean?"

"Slight change of plans," Elsa huffed as her parents drew her and Anna into a massive group-bear hug.

"Nothing serious, I hope?" her father immediately asked, face sobering.

"Don't worry, dad. It is serious, but not bad."

"Anna, dear, marvellous to see you again," Elsa's mother continued happily. "Why don't we take this all inside, hm? I'll put on a kettle."

It wasn't long before they were all seated around the table, steaming mugs of tea in front of them and a plate of freshly-baked biscuits standing in the middle. "Now, children, what's this important business that warranted a flight across half the world?" Elsa's father asked after a beat of silence.

"Well," Elsa started, slowly and hesitantly, "I'm sure you remember last time we visited… And how Anna wasn't feeling very well?"

Both of them nodded, the situation clearly something they would not easily forget.

"So, we talked about it for a while, with each other, as well as Anna's parents. And we've decided that you should know a little more."

"Okay," her father said, spurring her on when she didn't immediately continue.

"Sorry, yes. I'm just running through phrases in my head. But no matter how I phrase it, it's going to sound incredulous and… stupid. So… I'm just going to go and say it…"

There was another beat of silence before Elsa continued. "Anna's a vampire," she then blurted, wincing at how silly she sounded.

Both of her parents were entirely silent for a long minute, before confusion got the better of them. "Um, Elsa, love, whatever it is, you can tell us. There's no need to try and get out of telling us anything by telling us something as… well, fantastical, as _that_."

Elsa's shoulder slumped as she sighed and turned towards Anna. "I told you they wouldn't believe it. Your turn."

Anna nodded with a subdued grin. "Alright," she said, turning towards Elsa's parents. "Just remember I'm not a monster, I'm not evil, I won't hurt anyone, and your daughter loves me very much, and would not want me to be struck down with a skillet, or the axe you use for cutting firewood," she rambled, before closing her eyes for a moment.

When she opened them again, they were a dark red, and as she wiped a few errant stands of hair behind her ear, their change in shape could not be missed. Finally, she hesitantly opened her mouth, revealing her fangs.

"Don't freak out," Elsa warned casually, looking on as if it was something she'd done a hundred different times before. Anna merely smiled hesitantly, shrugging as if to apologize.

Elsa's mother pressed a hand to her heart, gasping in shock, as her father got up from the chair and took a large step backwards. "Good grief, girl, what have you gotten yourself into?" he nearly shouted.

"Love, dad. I've gotten myself into love. Now sit down and let us explain. _Please_."

Elsa took a deep breath as her father sat down again, deciding to start at the beginning. "Anna and I met in a club… She's a good person and didn't want to bite an unwilling victim to feed, so she 'hunted' women who were on their period so she could feed," she recounted, smiling at her parents' disgusted faces. "Yes, that was sort of my first response as well."

"Oh, please, you loved it," Anna laughed, fangs folded away again.

"Shush, you. My parents really don't need to know about… _all that_."

"Oh. Right. Sorry, continue."

"Anyhow, after feeding she left, and I didn't see her for a month. It turns out she had developed feelings for me, though, and felt bad about feeding from anyone else… So she came to my apartment, and we… talked. A lot."

She continued recounting everything that had happened, leaving out unimportant details, and finally looked up at her parents. "We had to get permission to tell you from Anna's father and the other elders… I really hope this doesn't change your view of Anna. She's _amazing_, and I am _so_ lucky to be allowed to call her my girlfriend. Vampire or not."

Elsa's father turned towards Anna, eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Your feeding habits… Are they harmful for my daughter in any way?"

"No, sir," Anna immediately responded. "I only take very little at a time, and only with her consent. If she ever tells me to stop, I will."

"What about diseases and her immune system?"

"Biologically speaking, we're more advanced that humans," Anna explained. "Our bites actually boost the immune system, and we don't carry any diseases. Well, most of us don't. We're pretty much the same as humans, in that regard."

"And you can protect Elsa, when needed?"

"Absolutely. Even if it's the last thing I do."

"Will you turn Elsa into one of you?" the blonde's mother suddenly asked, speaking up for the first time.

"No," Anna answered immediately.

"Eventually," Elsa responded at exactly the same moment, causing them to shoot each other a look.

"We're still discussing it," Anna eventually said with a wry smile.

"Well, my daughter clearly loves you very much, Anna. And she once had a boyfriend that talked to his reindeer, so I suppose we should have expected her to come home with… someone weird. No offense."

"None taken," Anna smiled.

Elsa's father huffed. "I can't say I'm not worried, Elsa… You seem to have gotten in way over your head… But you've always been a clever girl, and now you're a clever woman. I trust you to make the right decisions, to look after yourself. If you're happy, then we have no business butting into your life."

He turned towards Anna. "Just make sure to treat her right, or I'll come at you with garlic and a cross and holy water, and-"

"None of that works," Anna interrupted gently. "Stakes do, though. Just like it would kill pretty much anything else. Not that it will be necessary, of course! I mean, I have no intention of not treating Elsa right!"

"Good," the man smiled, albeit a bit strained.

"Just one more question, dears," Elsa's mother suddenly said.

"Yes?" the girls responded simultaneously.

"For how long are you two staying? I'll need to go and do the groceries!"


	13. Chapter 13

Elsa smiled to herself as her father suddenly pulled the car to the side of the road and shut the engine off. She'd known this moment was coming ever since they had revealed Anna's true nature to her parents. While they just wanted the best for her, there was absolutely _no way_ they were just going to let something like this – vampires existing and their only child dating one – go that easily.

Rather than the barrage of questions she had expected, Elsa heard her father heaving a heavy sigh as he dropped his hands from the steering wheel onto his lap. After a few more seconds of silence, he finally spoke. "You know, Elsa… I always thought of you as the brightest and wisest of our family. Always level-headed, insightful, careful and clever."

The blonde winced at the use of the past tense. "And you don't think of me that way anymore now?"

Her father shrugged helplessly. "I don't know what to think anymore, Elsa. Last time, after you and Anna left… your mother and I had a good long talk about the two of you. We suspected she was ill, you know? It was the logical conclusion… Some sort of illness that only makes itself known in waves. We were worried then, because that's not the life we wanted for you – having to take care of someone who's ill, I mean."

"But Anna isn't ill," Elsa remarked warily, not entirely sure where her father was going with this.

"No, she is not. Instead, you come home telling us we live amongst blood-sucking creatures we believed to be a myth. A story we tell children to make sure they come home before dark… I have nothing against Anna, mind you… But I think you may be in over your head."

"I'm not," Elsa remarked sharply. "I know _exactly_ what I'm doing."

Her father nodded slowly. "Alright. I believe that you think that you do. But how much do you really know about them, dear? About vampires?"

Elsa couldn't suppress a grim chuckle. "More than Anna herself knows about vampires, I'm sure. I did my research. They're not the horrible creatures they are made out to be in movies and novels. _Those_ vampires are creatures of fantasy. Anna and her family as just… normal people."

"Elsa, you said it yourself… They drink _blood_," her father muttered, looking concerned. "You can't think of that as being normal, can you?"

Now it was Elsa's turn to shrug. "In my eyes, it's not that different. Anna and her family don't feed off unwilling victims, dad. Most of them have a boyfriend or girlfriend that willingly lets them bite and feed off them. Saying that they are bad people because they drink blood is like… like saying humans are bad people for eating animals, and spiders are evil creatures because they eat flies."

Her father stared outside for a long time, before nodding curtly. "I suppose you might be right. But what about those vampires that _do_ attack unwilling humans?"

Elsa shrugged again. "I don't know. I never met any of those. I know that there are still some around, but practices like that are frowned upon by the majority of the vampires and heavily discouraged."

"But what if you encountered one?"

"They wouldn't attack me, because I… belong to Anna. It's unforgiveable to feed from another vampire's… um… Well, you get the picture… You are in more danger of being attacked by a hungry vampire than I am."

"I never even _met_ a vampire before Anna," her father countered, causing Elsa to smirk.

"Exactly."

Her father groaned, resting his forehead on the steering wheel. "This is exactly why I never try to argue with you anymore," he muttered, before straightening up again. "I did some research of my own, last night."

"Oh, do tell," Elsa murmured with a roll of her eyes, before mumbling a quick apology at her father's reproachful look.

"It tells me that vampires are stronger and faster than even the fittest humans," he continued after a beat of silence.

"That much is true, yes," Elsa responded with a quick nod.

"And that they are basically immortal."

"They can still die," Elsa explained, "just not from natural causes like age or illnesses. In fact, vampires are immune to practically every illness that plagues us feeble humans."

Her father nodded to himself a few times, before continuing. "I also read that they can't stand sunlight, and yet I've seen Anna prancing around during daytime like there was nothing the matter."

"Vampires don't burst into flames when they get into the daylight," Elsa started to explain. "Direct sunlight is unpleasant for them, and drains their energy when they stay outside for too long. But days like these, when it is cloudy, are perfectly fine."

"I see… So no afternoons on the beach for the two of you, then?"

Elsa shook her head. "I never really was all that fond of beaches anyhow. You know how my skin tends to react to the sun."

"Yes," her father muttered in response, "I remember we used to joke about _you_ being a vampire. How's that for irony, hm?"

"Listen, dad," Elsa said gently, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I know you are just looking out for me. And I appreciate that, honestly, I do. But you said it yourself: I've always been level-headed. I love Anna, and she loves me back. She makes me happy. That's really all that should matter, isn't it?"

When her father didn't immediately respond, Elsa continued. "I know you worry, and nothing I can say or do will take that away. But I know what I'm doing, and I am not in any more danger than I would be when I would be dating anyone else. In fact, with Anna by my side, I think I might be safer than I ever was before…"

Her father groaned again. "Couldn't you just have fallen for someone _normal_?"

"Anna is most certainly not normal," Elsa agreed. "But that's because she's a dork, not because she's a vampire. I mean, you've seen how she is. Overly excited, awkwardly bumbling, messy as a pig… But I really do love her, Dad."

Her father nodded again, slower this time. "I'm not getting in your way on this, Elsa. I trust that you know what is right for you… But it's going to take some time for your mother and me to really be comfortable with this. I'm sure you understand, being as clever as you are."

"I expected nothing less," Elsa replied honestly. "I just need you to know that Anna, nor any other vampire, has ever done anything to me against my will. The one vampire that did – one of Anna's brothers – was stopped and appropriately punished before he could do anything. Don't treat them differently just because of what they are, please?"

"I won't," her father promised. "But if you love Anna so much, we should hurry on home before she succumbs to your mother's inquisition."

* * *

"Anna, could you come in here for a moment?"

She was pretty sure her ensuing gulp was audible even in the dining room. Elsa had warned her that her parents wouldn't just let this slide, and that there would be a follow-up conversation. The blonde had neglected to tell her, though, that she would apparently be facing this one on her own.

Stepping into the dining room, Anna put on her brightest smile. "Sure? What's the matter?"

The older woman was sitting at the dining table, looking back at her sternly and motioning towards the chair opposite her. "Please, have a seat."

"O-kay," Anna muttered uncertainly, taking the offered seat. "Am I in some kind of trouble?"

"I would hope not," Elsa's mother responded, voice sounding measured. "Can I see your fangs again, please?"

With a soft click, Anna opened her mouth, revealing the pointy teeth. "Sure, but um… why, exactly?"

"Just trying to figure out how they work, is all."

"That's easy," Anna chuckled. "They simply fold backwards, sort of, when I don't have a need for them."

"And you use those to pierce someone's skin and drink their blood?" the woman continued, eyes narrowing slightly.

"Um. Yes. But only when-"

"How much blood do you take at any given time?" the interruption came, throwing Anna off her game.

"Not much…"

"Not much is hardly an adequate answer," the woman replied sharply.

"Right. Um, no more than a few mouthfuls, generally. Less than one would give when donating blood."

Elsa's mother stared at Anna for a while, before pulling her lips off to the side. "Why don't you just go to a blood bank and drink there?"

That question, Anna had actually expected. "It's a culture thing, mostly. It's frowned upon by other vampires to get your blood from anything else than directly from the source. Besides that, I'm not exactly sure people would be okay with vampires using the blood banks as local pubs."

"What are your intentions with my daughter?" the older woman continued without acknowledging Anna's previous answer.

Anna wavered for a moment, turning her gaze to the ceiling as she formulated a response. "I won't say 'to love her until the end of time,'" she started, "because that sound a little too cliché even for me, even though it's basically the truth. I love Elsa, and I want to make her happy, and to take care of her, and be taken care of _by_ her, and to keep her safe, and-"

"How do I know that my daughter is not just a quick snack for you? A convenient way to have a meal?"

Anna's eyes narrowed in response, her nose crinkling with barely veiled annoyance. "If that were the case, there are certainly easier ways to drink someone's blood. Ways without having to invest time into it. I could overpower you right now and drink from your throat if I wanted to. Instead, I'm in a committed relationship with Elsa. Whom I refused to feed from for weeks, despite the steady degeneration of my health. Because I _didn't want to bite her_."

"I did not mean to offend," Elsa's mother said without looking intimidated. "I just need to make sure my daughter is safe, and treated as well as she deserves."

Anna relaxed a little. "I would be lying if I said I was not offended. But I understand you have Elsa's best interest at heart. If you want to make sure she is treated as well as she deserves, though, you might as well give up now. No one can ever treat Elsa as well as she deserves. She's too precious."

For the first time since the questioning began, Elsa's mother showed a faint trace of a smile. "I'd like to know more about your kind, please."

"I'd be happy to oblige," Anna answered honestly but hesitantly, "but Elsa is more qualified to tell you about vampires in general. She's been doing a lot of reading in my father's library, and I'm only a little ashamed to say that I've neglected my vampire-related studies ever since I was a little girl."

"I see. I suppose I will need to discuss it with Elsa, then."

Just then, the door slammed open, Elsa immediately calling out Anna's name in what sounded an awful lot like panic. "In here?" Anna called back, confusion plain and evident.

"Are you alright?" Elsa asked as she gave Anna a quick hug upon entering the room.

"Well, yeah. Why wouldn't I be?" Anna asked, giving Elsa's father a quick wave.

"Well, dad told me that mom would be-"

To everyone's surprise, Elsa's mother started laughing. "Oh, Elsa, dear… You do know that your father is prone to exaggerating, do you not? I just had a few questions. I wasn't actually going to hurt Anna. Even if I _could_."

"Tell that to the first boy Elsa brought home, darling," Elsa's father boomed as he shrugged out of his coat. "You may not have touched him physically, but I am certain he is scarred for life all the same."

"Or the _second_ boy I brought home," Elsa added accusingly. "I never saw _him_ again, either."

"That," Elsa's mother started, "was entirely your own fault. If you're going to be getting naked with someone under my roof, you better lock your door."

Anna felt a smile growing around her lips as she watched Elsa blushing. "We were _not_ naked!" the blonde yelped loudly.

"Yet," both parents added at the exact same time.

"Oh my," Anna chuckled. "This sounds like a story I should hear."

"Maybe some other time," Elsa groused good-naturedly. Her father, however, shook his head with a grin.

"Don't be such a spoilsport, Elsa. Come, Anna. I'll tell you all about it if you help me bring in some firewood from the shed."

Elsa could hear the beginnings of a most embarrassing story tumbling from her father's mouth as the two of them made their way outside, leaving her with her mother, who was still sitting at the table, hands cupped around a steaming mug of tea.

"Mom, what did you do?" Elsa asked tiredly.

"You really do seem to think quite badly of me, dear," the older woman said, patting the seat next to her gently. "Anna and I just had a little chat, nothing to worry about. However, you will need to answer some of the questions that she could not."

"Such as?"

"Practically everything considering… vampire-kind," the woman smiled awkwardly.

"Right," Elsa nodded, immediately understanding. "Because Anna doesn't know how many vampires there are, or how they're governed, or even how most of them live."

"And you do?" her mother asked with raised eyebrows.

"Somewhat," Elsa shrugged. "I read enough of Roger's books to have a general idea, at least."

"Roger?"

"Anna's father," Elsa explained, running a hand through her hair.

"I see… And would it be possible for me to meet him? I would sleep a lot better if I knew a bit more about Anna's… social background and upbringing."

Elsa looked outside for a moment, smiling as she watched Anna staggering around with a humongous pile of firewood in her arms. "If you'd come back with me, I'm certain that can be arranged."

The two women were silent for a long time. "You really do care for her, don't you?" Elsa's mother eventually asked.

"Yeah… I do," Elsa sighed.

The older woman smiled sadly. "I imagine it must be quite unpleasant for you. Your father and me, I mean. Being so… inquisitive. Cautious."

Elsa weighed her head from side to side. "I understand. It's complicated, and it's a lot to take in. I mean, I didn't expect you to just be okay with it without asking questions and bringing up a storm of concerns. I'm not _happy_ about it… but I understand."

"That's all we ask, dear. We need you to help _us_ understand as well, because this is an entirely different cup of tea from finding out your boyfriend is actually a girlfriend."

"Well, you handled that pretty well," Elsa smiled.

"I would be lying if we said we were very… surprised," Elsa's mother smiled, getting up and placing the now empty mug on the counter. "I think you were the last of us to figure it out."

"Was not!" Elsa objected.

"Was too," her mother laughed in return.

"I'm just glad she figured it out at all," Anna laughed from behind them, stack of firewood wobbling dangerously. "Where would you like these?"

"How about… near the fireplace?"

"Oh… right."

* * *

"So," Anna hummed, elongating the 'o' for several seconds as she closed the bedroom door behind her. "We're flying back _tomorrow_ and taking your parents with us, so they can talk to _my_ parents. Right?"

"Right," Elsa answered, pulling a hairbrush through her long blonde hair. "They should be able to answer all of the questions mom and dad have right now…"

"I hope so…" Anna muttered, eyes fixed on the ground, back still resting against the door.

"Anna?" Elsa asked, turning towards her, "are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. It's- I'm fine. It's nothing."

Elsa sighed. "Sure, Anna. And vampires only exist in fairy tales. Come on, spill it."

The blonde waited patiently, carefully watching Anna lower herself onto the bed beside her. "It's silly. I just… I want your parents to like _me_ as much as my parents like _you_. I um… I don't think they really approve of me."

Elsa sighed deeply, wrapping her arm around Anna's shoulder and pulling her in close. "They don't _disapprove_, Anna," she whispered into the redhead's ear. "They just don't _understand_, either. Which is a problem that can be fixed by getting answers to their questions. I'm sure that, once they know you like _I _know you, they will love you as much as they love me."

"You think so?" Anna asked shyly, eyes glancing up at Elsa hopefully.

"Of course, silly. You are pretty lovable, after all."

Immediately, Anna's shy smile seemed to disappear, morphing into something considerably more predatory. "Oh, I _know_ that," she smiled smugly.

Before Elsa could register what was happening, she was on her back, with Anna hovering over her, faces mere inches apart. "Hi," she chirped with a mischievous smile.

"Oh shut up and kiss me already," Elsa muttered with a roll of her eyes, lifting her head to capture Anna's lips with her own.

The redhead hummed appreciatively, immediately deepening the kiss, teasing Elsa's lips apart with her tongue.

Elsa couldn't repress the smile and the moan as she heard Anna's fangs clicking, and when they parted for air, she came face to face with two crimson eyes, blinking at her dumbly.

"You're on your period?" she asked half-accusingly.

"Um, yeah?" Elsa replied. "I figured you'd have smelled?"

"Can I…? You know…"

Elsa smiled softly, slowly unbuttoning Anna's shirt, before pulling it over her head with a firm yank. "Only if you're a good girl and roll onto your back now," she laughed teasingly.

Within seconds, Anna was lying next to her, free of clothes and on her back. "Like this?" she smiled saucily.

"Yeah," Elsa muttered, finding herself short of breath at the sight before her. "Exactly like that."

She managed to climb onto Anna with a modicum of grace, resuming their kiss with equal fervour, and pulling away for a quiet chuckle as Anna failed to remove her clothes during their kiss.

"Having some trouble, miss?" she asked with a sly smile.

"No fair," Anna huffed, crashing their lips together again. "Too much clothing," she continued as they parted again, before immediately bringing their mouths back to each other.

When Elsa eventually shifted her mouth away from Anna's, instead tracing kisses down the redhead's throat and towards her breasts, Anna released a throaty sound – a cross between a whine and a moan.

Elsa spared a precious minute by unbuttoning her blouse and unhooking her bra, before taking one of Anna's nipples in her mouth and gently suckling on it, before returning her attention to the other breast, her hand sliding down Anna's taut stomach.

"El-sa!" Anna moaned, clawing at her blonde hair.

"Hm?" Elsa hummed teasingly, removing her hand and mouth from Anna's body and hovering above her with a questioning look. "Something wrong, Anna?"

"You," Anna groused with a threatening look. "Are. Evil."

"I thought you were trying to be a good girl?" Elsa continued to tease.

"You're making it too hard!" Anna whined in response, attempting to pull Elsa down towards her again. After a few fleeting moments of resistance, Elsa decided to take pity on her girlfriend, latching her mouth onto a nipple again and slowly kissing her way down Anna's stomach.

As soon as she reached her destination, gingerly circling her tongue around Anna's clit, she felt the redhead's hips bucking upwards. She had half a mind to tease her for a while, but the impatient groaning and movements changed her mind. Instead, she ran her tongue up from Anna's entrance to her clit, before taking the nub into her mouth and sucking gently, two fingers easily sliding inside the redhead.

As much as she would have liked to prolong Anna's pleasure and savour the experience, Elsa could read Anna's movements and sounds well enough to know there was little chance of that happening tonight. After a few thrusts of her fingers, the redhead was already fervently thrusting back against her hand, causing her tongue to miss its mark from time to time, and forcing Elsa to shift her position slightly.

A few minutes later, when the orgasm shot through her girlfriend, Elsa was forced to use her free arm to contain the bucking hips, allowing her to gently continue her movements and bring Anna down from her high as slowly and gingerly as she could.

"That was…" Anna sighed, followed by a guttural sound that Elsa couldn't really interpret as a word, or as anything else.

"That good, huh?" she asked with a smirk, morphing into a soft yelp as Anna suddenly reversed their positions, now on top of her.

"Let me show you?" the redhead asked, eyes shining brightly.

Carefully taking her bottom lip between her teeth, Elsa gave a soft and gentle nod of her head, and Anna immediately shot forward, seemingly wanting to spend her attention on every part of Elsa's body at the same time.

Elsa smiled as she spread her legs slightly, Anna's nose immediately twitching where it was pressed against her breast. As the redhead started trailing quick pecks down her body, Elsa let her head fall back against the pillow.

Anna's moan when her tongue finally reached between her legs was almost as loud as the sound coming from Elsa herself, which caused the couple to giggle briefly. When Anna's giggles resided again and she caught her breath, however, the humour was immediately forgotten as she buried her face between Elsa's legs again, tongue rapidly dancing around all the right spots.

It wasn't long before Elsa felt the tell-tale signs of her building orgasm emerge. The softly tingling feeling seemed to build steadily, but as soon as she started actually enjoying them in full, Anna shifted her attention, causing the feeling to die down again.

Only when the feeling was almost entirely gone did Anna's tongue make contact with her clit again, the feeling immediately sky-rocketing again. True to form, when Elsa felt her orgasm creeping nearer again, Anna again shifted her attention away from the good spots, causing Elsa to huff audible.

"What is it, my love?" Anna asked from between her legs, voice overly innocent and airy. "Am I not doing it right?"

"Oh, so this is how it's going to be, then?" Elsa asked with raised eyebrows, shooting Anna a warning glance. Oddly enough, she realized she didn't really mind the sight of her blood on Anna's face as much anymore. Especially when Anna was smiling so adorably.

"Like what?" Anna asked, voice high and lilting.

With a scoff and a shake of her head, Elsa pulled her legs close again, softly pushing Anna away with her foot. "Okay, no more feeding for-"

Before having a chance to finish her sentence, Elsa's legs were spread again, Anna hovering over her again. "I'm sorry. I'll be a good girl now, 'kay?"

"You better," Elsa laughed, dropping her head back down onto the pillow.

And, surely enough, Anna got to work in earnest. Mere minutes later, Elsa felt the feeling of her orgasm crashing through her in full force, all the more powerful through the tedious built-up, and taking all of her willpower not to wake her parents with an air-shattering sound of pleasure.

Her eyes still closed, she felt Anna snuggling into her side, resting her head on her shoulder. "You know, Elsa? I think this is still the best way of feeding. I mean, I'm good with biting you now. I like it, even. But this… This is something else…"

Elsa released a happy sigh. "Well, I have no objections to repeating this. Regularly."

She felt Anna's lips – still warm and moist – pressing against her cheek in a chaste peck, before her head snuggled down against her chest again, strong arms pulling the blankets back over them.


End file.
